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May 2012

New Threads          

Nike Olympic Suit  

Swifter, higher, stronger. That Olympic motto could apply to the teams of engineers who develop high-performance apparel to help athletes go for the gold. Michael Phelps swam to 2008 glory in a full-body suit designed to reduce drag. (It later was banned.) Nike's new track and field uniform, above, has aerodynamic dimples and dots. As noted below, even horses will sport high-tech compression suits at the summer Olympics. Your materials engineers will dive into this month's challenge. A stich in time saves nine!

 

Lesson: Nano Waterproofing 

 

nano waterproofingNanotechnology has affected the design and engineering of many everyday items, from paint to fabrics. In this lesson, students in grades 6 - 12 learn about the hydrophobic effect and how re-engineering textile products at the nano level can introduce similar properties.

 

View Lesson

RELATED ACTIVITY:

Design Inspired by Nature (Grades 3-6)

MORE LESSONS:

Grades K-5  |  Grades 6-8  |  Grades 9-12

 

Feature: Fashion, Form, and Function 

   

horseHigh-performance garb is de rigeur for athletes. Now, it's racehorses' turn. This colorful suit, designed by Matthew Spice of Sydney, Australia, harnesses durable, warp-knit wicking sportswear fabric and a "graduated compression technology" to enhance circulation and help horses rebound from exertion. Wearable technology reaches beyond sports to lightweight military armor and applications in cybersecurity, medicine, and pop music.

 

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RELATED FEATURES:
LED-encrusted Snowboard Suit

New Shirt Measures Athletes' Performance

 

Spotlight: MIT and TED-Ed STEM Videos


Khan Khan Academy's YouTube math tutorials may not win any Oscars. But they pack a lot of academic merit, if the many students and teachers who use them are any indication. Now, teachers have a wider choice, with MIT and TED adding new, free resources to the K-12 STEM video playlist with free educational resources for teachers.

 

Read More  

 

 

 

 

 

Coming in June: K-12 Teachers' Workshop  

workshopSat., June 9, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas. This day-long program for teachers and engineering educators offers a fast-paced and exciting overview of engineering education resources for the classroom. You'll discover valuable best practices, new contacts for collaboration, and the latest take-away tools for effective teaching about engineering. Early registration is now open until June 1. Count on a full, fun and motivating day!

 

Read More    

 

 

 

Explore Our Site: Helpful Links for Teachers

Cynthia Breazeal Wants You to Make Friends with RobotsJetman: Flying Soon to a Landmark Near YouUnderwater Scooters are the New SCUBAEbone Pierce - Mechanical Engineering StudentTurning Air into WaterVertical Forest Coming Soon to Milan
bulletPrepare your students for engineering school with these 10 Essential Steps.
bulletChange your students' perceptions of engineering students.
bulletIntroduce your students to young engineers who are already making a difference in the world.
bulletStay up-to-date with cool engineering innovations.
bulletFind out about the engineering design process.
bulletLearn about the different types of engineering.
bulletRead our magazine online.
bulletCheck out all the items in our online store.
bulletExplore lesson plans and class activities.
bulletView our archive of past newsletters.

   

Announcements

 

Next Generation Science Standards -- The latest draft was just released for public comment. Will you weigh in? Learn more 

 

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month -- Mark the occasion by celebrating these notable engineers and engineering educators. Learn more 

 

Shell Eco-Marathon -- High school and college teams design, build, and test concept cars that go farthest on a gallon of fuel. Registration opens this fall. Learn more.

 

Nanooze -- A magazine about nanotechnology for upper elementary to high school students is available free to schools, in classroom packs of 30.  Learn more. 

 


egfi 5th edition 

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. The new edition just won a Silver Award of Distinction from the Communicator Awards and caught the eye of Wired magazine blogger GeekDad.

 

Now available in our store and on Amazon.com

 

About the eGFI Teachers' Newsletter

 

Delivered each month to your email inbox, our newsletter is packed with lesson plans and activities, resources, feature stories, and the latest developments in K-12 engineering education. eGFI is part of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), a non-profit organization committed to enhancing efforts to improve STEM and engineering education.   


American Society for Engineering Education 

1818 N Street, N.W., Suite 600

Washington, DC, District of Columbia 20036

 

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