Posted on May 9th, 2019 by Mary Lord
Students in grades 6 to 8 apply their knowledge about mountains and rocks to transportation engineering to develop a model mountain tunnel from that simulates the principles behind real-life engineering design. Teams design and create model tunnels through a clay mountain, working within design constraints and testing for success; the tunnels must meet specific design requirements and withstand a certain load.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Tunnel Through!
Tags: civil and environmental engineering, Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Lesson Plan, railroad, Transportation, tunnel
Posted on August 20th, 2018 by Mary Lord
Crazy about cars – or driven mad by traffic? Iowa State University’s Institute for Transportation offers an engaging set of resources, including Go! Magazine, a free e-zine in English and Spanish, for students and teachers to learn about transportation research and careers.
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Filed under: K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources | Comments Off on Go! Transportation eZine for Teens
Tags: autonomous vehicles, Civil Engineering, Engineering, Go! Magazine, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, highway, Iowa State University Institute for Transportation, Resources for Teachers, roads, shipping, traffic engineering, Transportation, Web Resources
Posted on August 19th, 2015 by ASEE
This ordinary-looking stretch of road is anything but. Nestled in the mountains of southwest Virginia, the 2.2 mile blacktop contains three bridges, an intersection–and a brain!
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Filed under: K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features | Comments Off on A Smart Road for Driven Students
Tags: Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, sensors, smart road, software engineering, Transportation, Virginia Tech
Posted on August 17th, 2015 by ASEE
Elementary students investigate major landforms (e.g., mountains, rivers) in groups of two. They build a 3D model of a landscape depicting several of these landforms. Once they have built their model, they act as civil and transportation engineers to build a road through the landscape they have created.
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Filed under: Class Activities, For Teachers, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Lesson Plans | Comments Off on Carving Out the Landscape
Tags: activity, Civil Engineering, Geography, Landforms, Paper Mache, Transportation
Posted on February 22nd, 2015 by Mary Lord
In this hands-on activity, teams of students in grades 3 to 12 learn how engineers design tire treads to increase safety and reliability, then follow the design process to construct, test, and evaluate treads sculpted from clay that will be safe when driving in heavy rain.
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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 How the Rubber Meets the Road
Tags: Automotive engineering, car, Class Activities, Engineering Design, Lesson Plan, safety, tire, Transportation, tread
Posted on May 19th, 2014 by Mary Lord
Izhar Gafni’s eureka moment came a few years ago when he heard about a cardboard canoe and wondered: “Why not a cardboard bicycle?” It took several years of trial-and-error work before he succeeded in building a reliable model that weighs a mere 20 pounds, is stronger than carbon fiber, and costs only about $10 to make.
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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Cardboard Pedal Pusher
Tags: cardboard bicycle, entrepreneur, Green Technology, Ideas & Inventions, Materials Engineering, Sustainability, Systems Engineering, Transportation
Posted on January 21st, 2014 by Mary Lord
It takes host cities a lot of time, money, and engineering to prepare for the Olympics, and Sochi, the Russian seaside resort that will welcome athletes and fans from around the world this February, is no exception. Along with luge runs and ice arenas, the area’s 218 Olympic projects include a new high-speed rail and seaport.
A recent Businessweek article estimated the total at $51 billion, making Russia’s games the costliest in history
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Filed under: Special Features | Comments Off on Sochi’s Big Olympics Dig
Tags: arena, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, infrastructure, Olympics, Safety engineering, ski lift, snow, Sochi, Sports, stadium, train, Transportation, Winter Olympics
Posted on January 20th, 2014 by Mary Lord
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5 | 1 Comment »
Tags: chair lift, Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, Lesson Plans, ski lift, Sports Engineering, Transportation, Winter
Posted on November 9th, 2012 by Mary Lord
In this activity, teams of students in grades 3 to 12 explore how engineers work to solve such societal problems as moving goods, materials, and people by designing and building a conveyor system out of everyday materials than can transport pieces of candy 4 feet, including a 90-degree turn.
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Filed under: Class Activities, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5 | Comments Off on Activity: Conveyor Engineering
Tags: baggage, conveyor, conveyor belt, Engineering, luggage, Manufacturing Engineering, suitcase, Systems Engineering, traffic, Transportation