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Broiling on the beach? Actually, only a sliver of the energy produced by the sun's blinding nuclear furnace ever reaches Earth. Still, it's enough to raise crops, influence weather, and, thanks to engineers, power homes and provide electricity to remote villages. This month's activity will get your designers generating some hot ideas for keeping cool this summer. No sunscreen needed!
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| Activity: Berry Organic Solar Power
High school students learn how a device made with berry juice can convert light energy into electrical energy by building their own organic solar cells and measuring performance based on power output.
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RELATED LESSONS
Design a Solar Building (Grades 3-5)
Build a Solar Still (Grades 3-8)
Solar Cooking (Grades 6-8)
Zero Energy Home Design (Grades 9-11)
Solar Hot Water (Grades 9-11)
MORE LESSONS:
Grades K-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12
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Feature: Solar Plane Soars into History
While solar-powered cars have yet to cruise much beyond design competitions, a solar-powered aircraft swooped across the Pacific and into the record books on July 3 when it landed in Hawaii (photo, right) five days after taking off from Japan.
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RELATED FEATURES:
Reactor Turns Sunlight into Hydrogen Fuel
Follow the Solar-Brick Road
Solar Cells from Bioluminescent Jellyfish
Meet Cliff Ho, Solar Energy Whiz
7th Grade Student Invents a Solar Tree
Solar Decathlon Powers Up
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| Spotlight: Engineering Education Certificate
 Want to inspire innovation in your classroom? Tufts University's Center for Engineering Education and Outreach has just launched a graduate-level online certificate program to empower K-12 teachers to bring hands-on engineering to their students.
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 Silicon Valley isn't the only place with a gender gap. A federal study of 20,000 high school students reveals that while boys and girls earn math and science credits at similar rates, boys were far more likely to take engineering, technology, and computer science classes and to consider pursuing STEM majors in college. Read more. |
Announcements
Bioenergy Workshop for STEM Teachers. -- The USDA's Bioenergy and Bioproducts Education Program is sponsoring free workshops July 27-30 & Aug. 10-13. Learn more.
National Geographic Engineering Contest. -- Children 6 to 18 develop, build, and test robots to solve challenges that explorers face in the field. Enter by Aug. 1. Learn more.STEM Lessons from Space. -- Whether looking for fun activities, webinars, or images from Pluto, NASA Education has a wealth of resources for educators. Learn more.
Innovation Nation. -- An early Google server is among the treasures of American enterprise on display in the Smithsonian's new Innovation wing. Learn more.
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 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. |
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