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"Inspire a Generation," the motto of the London Olympics, could well apply to the high-tech feats that enable peak athletic performance. From '"mart" training systems to slosh-reducing pools and safety gear, the 2012 games represent a triumph of sports engineering. Olympic Park is also a sustainability showcase, built on 2.5 square kilometers of what was once industrial wasteland. This month's activity will inspire your young competitors. See who goes for the gold!
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| Lesson: Tennis, Anyone?
 In this lesson, students in grades 3 - 12 construct a functional racquet out of everyday materials that can volley against another team. They explore how engineers incorporate the latest materials and manufacturing techniques to improve the performance of sports equipment.
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RELATED LESSONS:
Safety Gear and Helmets (Grades 5-8)
Free Shot Physics (Grades 6-8)
MORE LESSONS:
Grades K-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12
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Feature: Even Greener in 2016
 The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver featured solar panels, green roofs, mechanisms to collect and recycle rainwater - and award medals made from re-purposed electronic waste. Now, Rio de Janeiro is aiming to create the first games with a zero-carbon footprint when it hosts the Summer Olympics in four years' time.
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RELATED FEATURES:
Artificial Cloud to Hang Over 2022 Qatar World Cup
How Helmets are Made
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| Spotlight: Let the (Engineering) Games Begin!
 From safety gear and split-second timekeepers to systems that improve training or healing, the impact of engineering on sports is pervasive. As Team USA heads to London in July, the National Science Foundation has partnered with the educational and Olympics divisions of NBC News to create videos highlighting the engineering that helps the world's top athletes go for glory.
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News: $1 Billion Plan for Top STEM Teachers
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| Announcements
We've Been Busy! -- This newsletter won the 2012 APEX Award for Excellence in the E-mail Newsletters category. And the fifth edition of eGFI magazine won three awards this year: The Association of Educational Publishers Award for Whole Publication Design; the Communicator Silver Award of Distinction for a Special Edition Magazine; and the APEX Grand Award for One-of-a-Kind Publications, Nonprofit. See what all the fuss is about.
A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering -- Road trip this summer? Catch some fun engineering sites along the way with this National Society of Professional Engineers trip planner. Learn more.
Real-World Design Challenge -- Registration is now open for the 2012-13 competition in which high school teams work on a real-world engineering problem. Learn more.
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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. The award-winning new edition caught the eye of Wired magazine blogger GeekDad. Now available in our store and on Amazon.com! |
