October 2014

Arching over the 1889 World's Fair entrance, engineer Gustave Eiffel's tower was Earth's tallest edifice for four decades. Skyscrapers like Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the current record holder, may loom much higher. But most owe their design to the ingenious iron lattice that debuted in Paris 125 years ago. This month's fun activity will tickle your structural engineers' fancy. Vive la France!

Activity: Pipe Cleaner Challenge

In this short, fun activity for students in grades 2 to 12, teams learn about the engineering design process, including constraints on time and materials, by building the tallest free-standing tower out of pipe cleaners.

Great for after-school clubs and Girl Scout troops!

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RELATED LESSONS

Build a Paper Tower (Grades 5-12)

Leaning Tower of Pasta (Grades 5 -7)

Marshmallow Design Challenge (Grades K to adult)

Building Up, Breaking Down (Grades 3-8)

MORE LESSONS:

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

Feature: Vertical Engineers Got A Capital View

Structural engineer Emma Cardini has inspected some pretty impressive facades, including the Chicago Tribune Tower's ornate spires. Still, nothing compared with the panorama she enjoyed while rappelling down the Washington Monument in 2011 to assess earthquake damage.

Read More

RELATED FEATURES:

No Toppling This Tower

Building Blocks: Back to Basics

High Spire Act

Milan's Vertical Forest

Spotlight: edX Offers Free Online AP Courses

Whether they're preparing for Advanced Placement� Biology exams or engineering math, high school students now can access 27 free online courses from the MIT-Harvard edX consortium -- all designed to boost their chance of college STEM success.

Announcements

Mickelson Exxon-Mobil Teachers Academy. -- Apply by Oct. 31 for this free summer professional development session for STEM teachers in grades 3 to 5. Learn more.

Shell Eco-marathon. -- High school and college teams design and race fuel-efficient cars to see how far they can go on a gallon of gas. Register by Nov. 17. Learn more.

Einstein Fellowships for STEM Teachers. -- Applications are due Nov. 20 for this unique opportunity to work on national education policy at a federal agency. Learn more.

SMART Competition. -- High school students apply their knowledge of science, math, and physics to design an intelligent building, in this case, a school's gym. Learn more.

TEAMS Competition. -- Students address real-world energy challenges in the 2015 Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science. Register today. Learn more.

Code Studio. -- To encourage more schools to teach computer science, Code.org has created a set of free tools, lessons, curriculum, and teachers' dashboard. Learn more.

Verizon Innovative App Challenge. -- Middle and high school students need not be techies to dream up a $20,000 winning app idea. Submissions due Nov. 24. Learn more.

Explore Our Site: Helpful Links for Teachers

	Prepare your students for engineering school with these 10 Essential Steps.
	Change your students' perceptions of engineering students.
	Introduce your students to young engineers who are already making a difference in the world.
	Stay up-to-date with cool engineering innovations.
	Find out about the engineering design process.
	Learn about the different types of engineering.
	Read our magazine online.
	Check out all the items in our online store, including copies of the printed eGFI magazine.
	Explore lesson plans and class activities.
	View our archive of past newsletters.

Check Out the eGFI Kids' Book

It's never too early to learn about engineering. Along with our 5th Edition magazine and classroom cards, Engineering, Go For It offers an engaging children's book in its collection of learning materials.

"If I Were an Engineer," from the American Society for Engineering Education, is a fun, 40-page rhyming book that introduces engineering to kids 5 to 8 years old. It includes a parent page that explains the various engineering disciplines.

Price: $7.95

Now available in our store.

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.

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eGFI Wins Award

Our January 2014 teachers' e-newsletter, "Olympic Engineering," took top honors for publication excellence in the 2014 APEX competition.