Posted on July 25th, 2014 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 4 to 8 use LEGO spur gears to learn about different types of gears and how they are used in many engineering devices, including bicycles, to change the speed, torque, and direction of a power source.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on What Are Gears?
Tags: bicycle, Class Activities, gears, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, LEGOS, Mathematics, Mechanical engineering, Physics, simple machines, speed, torque
Posted on April 21st, 2014 by Mary Lord
In this activity, students in grades 9-11 learn how engineers harness the energy of the wind by following the engineering design process to create and test two prototype wind turbines to see which works best. They also learn about where to place a wind turbine for maximum effectiveness, and to weigh the advantages and disadvantages compared with other energy sources.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Wind Power for Your Home
Tags: Alternative Energy, Civil Engineering, Class Activities, efficiency, Environmental Engineering, Environmental science, Grades 9-12, Green Technology, kinetic energy, Lesson Plan, Mechanical engineering, renewable energy, STEM education, Sustainability, turbine, wind power
Posted on December 30th, 2013 by Mary Lord
Can toys inspire more kids – especially girls – to become engineers? Purdue University mechanical engineering students think so, and they are designing and building high-tech educational toys that make science and engineering fun.
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Filed under: K-12 Education News, Special Features | Comments Off on Engineering Students Design Toys
Tags: engineering education, engineering students, Mechanical engineering, Purdue, toy engineering, toys
Posted on December 20th, 2013 by Mary Lord
In this hands-on activity, student teams apply the engineering design process to create prototype toys with moving parts. They set up electric circuits using batteries, wire, and motors, and plan project materials to meet budget constraints.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Build-a-Toy Workshop
Tags: Class Activities, Design, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Design, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, Mechanical engineering, toys
Posted on October 24th, 2013 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 6 to 8 gain an understanding of physical limitations and the biomedical engineering design process by performing a variety of tasks without using their thumbs, eyes, or legs, then working in teams to create or improve and adaptive device.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Seeing the World Through a Different Lens
Tags: adaptive technologies, assistive technologies, bioengineering, biomechanical engineering, Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plan, Mechanical engineering, Prosthetics, students with disabilities
Posted on October 1st, 2012 by ASEE
Ainissa Ramirez, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Yale, explains the wonders of her ever-expanding field in a series of YouTube videos. In the latest, she describes how a layer of carbon that is one atom thick, called graphene, will revolutionize our lives.
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Filed under: Web Resources | Comments Off on Videos: Material Marvels
Tags: Materials Engineering, Mechanical engineering, video, Videos
Posted on June 19th, 2011 by Mary Lord
In this lesson, teams of students in grades 6 to 12 will explore the engineering design process by modifying a paper cup to carry a marble down a zip line and drop it precisely on a target. They will learn to brainstorm, test, evaluate, and redesign their devices to improve accuracy and effectiveness of the remote-release mechanism.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | 2 Comments »
Tags: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plan, Mechanical engineering, Physics, zip line
Posted on June 19th, 2011 by Mary Lord
A British product-design student has invented a wheel-chair alternative whose legs can lift up and step over obstacles. Martin Harris, 21, hopes his invention will give people with mobility issues more freedom. He also believes his design, which was inspired by the kinetic sculpture of Dutch engineer-artist Theo Jansen, has potential uses in agricultural machinery or military vehicles.
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Filed under: K-12 Education News, Special Features | Comments Off on Student Invents ‘Walking Chair’
Tags: adaptive technologies, Biomedical, Biomedical Engineering, Design, Mechanical engineering, student invention
Posted on October 11th, 2010 by Jaimie Schock
Students at a rural Alabama school are putting their mechanical skills to use developing inexpensive utility vehicles that can be shipped to poor countries and assembled. Boasts teacher Brian Copes: “These students are on the fast track of changing the world.”
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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Feature: Help on Four Wheels
Tags: Cars, Competitions for Students, Entertainment, Mechanical engineering