Posted on November 21st, 2017 by Mary Lord
Spider-Man’s creator, Stan Lee, finds inspiration in STEM. And he hopes students in grades 6 to 12 will, too, by dreaming up comics or short videos in the National Science Foundation’s Generation Nano: Superheroes Inspired by Science competition. Top entries can win up to $1,500 in scholarships, with $500 stipends for teachers. Enter by January 8, 2018.
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Filed under: Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features | Comments Off on Generation Nano Superhero Challenge
Tags: comic books, Competitions for Students, Contest, Generation Nano, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, National Science Foundation, scholarships, Stan Lee, STEAM, STEM education, STEM superheroes, USA Science and Engineering Festival 2018, Video contest
Posted on July 11th, 2017 by Mary Lord
Stitched circuits and musical instruments made from marshmallows are among the latest offerings in the 2017 Maker Camp, a virtual DIY summer camp sponsored by Make magazine. Many activities could work well as classroom projects, too!
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Web Resources | Comments Off on Virtual Maker Camp
Tags: Class Activities, DIY, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Internet Resources, Make magazine, Maker camp, STEAM, Summer Camps & Programs (Students), virtual field trips, Web Resources
Posted on March 10th, 2017 by Mary Lord
The American Statistical Association hosts an annual poster competition for K-12 students to showcase their ability to apply and display data. Winners will receive up to $300 and Texas Instrument calculators. Submit by April 1, 2017.
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Filed under: Competitions and Contests, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on K-12 Statistics Poster Contest
Tags: American Statistical Association, Competitions for Students, Contest, data, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, graphics, poster, statistics, STEAM
Posted on December 12th, 2016 by Mary Lord
In this lesson, high school students learn the value of writing and art in science and engineering by designing visual diagrams to communicate the results of thermal conductivity (heat flow) experiments they have conducted to anyone with little background on the subject. The principles of visual design include contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity, and involve such elements as the use of lines, color, texture, shape, size, value, and space.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Visualize STEM
Tags: Art, Class Activities, diagram, experiment, Grades 9-12, graphic design, heat flow, Presentations, STEAM, Technical Communications, thermal imaging, writing
Posted on August 18th, 2016 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 3 to 5 use engineering problem solving to create structures from paper, straws, tape, and paper clips that can support the weight of at least one textbook. For the second trial, they examine examples of successful buildings in history and try again.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Shapes of Strength
Tags: building, construction engineering, Design, History, learning from failure, materials, parthenon, pyramids, shapes, skyscraper, STEAM, strength, Structural Engineering, Taipei 101
Posted on May 21st, 2016 by Mary Lord
Teams of middle school students use the engineering design process to design, build, and test a pair of wearable platform or high-heeled shoes, taking into consideration the stress and strain on the wearer’s foot. They activity concludes with a “walk-off” to test the shoe designs and discuss the design process.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Fancy Feet
Tags: Class Activities, Engineering Design, fashion, footwear, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plan, making, Materials Engineering, shoe design, sneaker, STEAM
Posted on April 21st, 2016 by Mary Lord
In this activity, teams of middle school students express their creativity while learning the fundamentals of engineering design, sustainability, and the basic physics of forces and motion by building a vehicle out of recycled trash that is capable of transporting liquid over rough terrain with as little spillage as possible.
Note: This activity can be scaled for high school or upper elementary students.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Trash Sliders
Tags: Class Activities, creativity, Earth Day, Engineering Design, Environmental Engineering, forces and motion, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plan, Recycling, STEAM, Sustainability, Trash
Posted on December 24th, 2015 by Mary Lord
In this collaborative math and art lesson, students in grades 4 through high school explore central ideas in industrial engineering – including productivity, efficiency, and quality – by designing their own assembly line and working together to mass produce greeting cards.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Greeting Card Assembly Line
Tags: Art, assembly line, Class Activities, Common Core State Mathematics Standards, girls in STEM, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, greeting card, Industrial engineering, Lesson Plans, Math, STEAM
Posted on December 24th, 2015 by Mary Lord
Could origami engineering be the next big thing in manufacturing? Researchers say that the Japanese art of folding paper could have practical implications ranging from minimally invasive surgical aids to highly efficient capture of solar energy and giant space telescopes that fit into a small payload. And their work has evolved into a well-funded fount of innovation.
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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Origami Engineering
Tags: ASEE Prism, David Gracias, Johns Hoplins, manufacturing, Materials Engineering, MIT, origami engineering, paper folding, Penn State, STEAM