What do energy-efficient homes, phone apps, tailfins, and assembly lines have in common? All represent the fruits of engineering design -- a process of brainstorming, building, testing, and improving that Apple founder Steve Jobs called "the fundamental soul of a human-made creation. "Your designers will discover the perils of hidden assumptions in this week's marshmallow challenge. They'll beg for s'mores! For Navy-related student research opportunities, check out the Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) and the Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP). Download our Teacher Guide for more ideas! |
| Lesson: Marshmallow Design Challenge
 In this lesson, student teams have a limited period of time (18 minutes) to build the tallest free-standing spaghetti structure that can support a marshmallow. They learn how engineers collaborate to design, test, and improve on their ideas, as well as to examine hidden assumptions that can derail the creative process and final product.
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Feature: Wastewater Engineering
 Bathrooms create as well as dispose of waste: The average person flushes the toilet five times a day, and uses as much as 35 gallons of water. Tom Broadbent, an industrial design graduate from De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, has designed a way to turn bathrooms into power generators by harvesting energy from water discharged from showers, toilets, and sinks in high-rise apartments. He got his idea after seeing how quickly and forcefully his hotel bathtub drained.
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| K-12 News: District Trades Texts for Tech
 Are science and math textbooks slated for the scrap heap? In Munster, Ind., they're already history. The well-regarded school district went whole hog this year, tossing out traditional math and science tomes for 2,600 students in grades 5 -12 in favor of video-rich, interactive content accessible via school-issued laptops.
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| Special: ASEE Partners with NSTA
 The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) has put together a public/private partnership to develop ways of engaging elementary, middle, and high school students in engineering. Participants will learn about innovative, hands-on, project-based engineering at three events during National Science Teachers Association regional conferences.
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 What do the blockbuster "Avatar," high-performance sports gear, Angry Birds phone app, and pollution-eating bacteria have in common?
They are among a host of cool innovations developed by engineers and featured in the new fifth edition of the American Society for Engineering Education's Engineering, Go For It magazine. The kid-friendly magazine is part of ASEE's campaign to inspire more K-12 students, particularly young women and underrepresented minorities, to pursue engineering majors and careers. Now available in our store! |
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