As the first engineering design challenge of the unit, students are introduced to the logic for solving a maze. First they observe a blindfolded student volunteer being guided through a classroom maze by the simple verbal instructions of another student. In this demonstration, the blindfolded student represents a robot and the guiding student represents programming commands. Then student groups apply that logic to program LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robots to navigate through a maze, first with no sensors, and then with sensors. A PowerPoint® presentation, pre/post quizzes and a worksheet are provided.

As students learn about the creation of biodomes, they are introduced to the steps of the engineering design process, including guidelines for brainstorming. Students learn how engineers are involved in the design and construction of biodomes and use brainstorming to come up with ideas for possible biodome designs. This lesson is part of a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

The application of engineering principles is explored in the creation of mobiles. As students create their own mobiles, they take into consideration the forces of gravity and convection air currents. They learn how an understanding of balancing forces is important in both art and engineering design.

Students investigate the ways in which ancient technologies six types of simple machines and combinations are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern structure), they brainstorm ideas, decide on a design, and submit it to a design review before acquiring materials to create it (in this case, a mural depicting it). Emphasis is placed on cooperative, creative teamwork and the steps of the engineering design process.

NASA's Johnson Space Center is located near Houston, Texas and was constructed as "the primary center for: design, development testing of spacecraft and associated systems for human flight; selection and training of astronauts; planning and conducting human space flight missions; and extensive participation in the medical, engineering scientific experiments carried aboard space flights."

Students work in teams to design a tabletop supply organizer inspired by the natural home of an insect species. Their prototype stores the group’s classroom supplies (scissors, crayon boxes, pencils, and glue sticks). In addition to following measurement constraints that apply to their prototype, students must design their supply organizer with the idea that supplies must be easily retrievable and the organizer must be sturdy enough to withstand everyday classroom wear and tear. Students test their prototype in the classroom for a period of 5 days and evaluate its effectiveness.

How could a biomimetic-inspired exhibit design improve an animal exhibit, either for the animals and/or for the people using it? This activity is designed to start your students in recognizing themselves as scientists and thinking critically about problem-solving. The goal is to teach concepts through discovery and to encourage using scientific thought processes. As with all lessons provided, please feel free to adapt them according to your students’ abilities. You may find it more successful to lead activities and discussions as a whole group as opposed to having your students’ work in small groups. Certain scientific vocabulary may or may not be appropriate for your students’ level of understanding. Take these ideas, make them your own and your students will have a greater chance at success.

How can nature inspire a design for more effective medical equipment to be used in providing veterinary care? This activity is designed to start your students in recognizing themselves as scientists and thinking critically about problem-solving. The goal is to teach concepts through discovery and to encourage using scientific thought processes. As with all lessons provided, please feel free to adapt them according to your students’ abilities. You may find it more successful to lead activities and discussions as a whole group as opposed to having your students’ work in small groups. Certain scientific vocabulary may or may not be appropriate for your students’ level of understanding. Take these ideas, make them your own and your students will have a greater chance at success.

What happens when a nuclear reactor overheats? This video segment adapted from FRONTLINE looks at the nuclear reactor meltdown at Chernobyl, the worst accident of its kind.

How can we design more reliable systems to meet our communities’ energy needs? How can we design more reliable systems to meet our communities’ energy needs? This unit is designed to introduce students to the concept of energy transfer in a relevant and grounded context: the Texas power crisis of February 2021. Students read articles and wonder about the complex social, environmental, and physical realities that led to such a crisis. They figure out how energy transfers between systems from a generator to our communities, and what makes an energy source reliable. This allows the class to model and explain what happened in Texas at multiple scales, from the electrons in the wires to the power companies making difficult decisions to maintain stability. Students consider engineering tradeoffs, criteria, and constraints inherent in making decisions about our energy systems, and apply them in a culminating task: design a reliable energy solution that meets our communities' needs, as articulated by interviews with friends and family members. The task is designed to give students the tools to speak up in their local and global community for a better energy future, one that aligns with their own values, and those of their families.

OpenSciEd content is highly rated in EdReports and is aligned to NGSS standards.

This interactive will present the components and steps needed for a successful
PCR reaction.

This interactive will present the rules for designing precise nucleotide sequences
called PCR primers. Designing primers for a PCR reaction is an important step
because the way they bind to the template DNA dictates much of the success of
the PCR reaction.

How can we alter the design of chip packaging to be more sustainable while protecting the product? Students will design a better way to package potato chips that will be less harmful to the environment and protect the product from being crushed during shipping. The potato chip. It’s crispy. It’s salty. It’s delicious. And you can’t eat just one! As consumers, we often devour a bag of potato chips without giving a second thought to what happens to the bag when we throw it away. Did you know that the average potato chip bag is nearly impossible to recycle? That’s because most bags used for this purpose contain up to 7 layers of plastic! Currently, there is no way to separate those layers, so the bags end up in landfills.

This is a 60 to 90-minute lesson that includes a self-paced interactive module and classroom activities. The teacher guide includes a challenge sequence (timeline), relevance to standards, materials list, assessment, evaluation rubric, and learning extensions.

Lesson objectives: (1) Research and analyze green materials that can be used in product packaging. (2) Investigate 3-D shapes and how they might be used to protect products from damage. (3) Create a design for green packaging that will contain food products.

Student groups are challenged to create food packages for specific foods. They focus on three components in the design of their food packages; the packages must keep the food clean, protect or aid in the physical and chemical changes that can take place in the food, and present the food appealingly. They design their packaging to meet these requirements.

The difference between an architect and an engineer is sometimes confusing because their roles in building design can be similar. Students experience a bit of both professions by following a set of requirements and meeting given constraints as they create a model parking garage. They experience the engineering design process first-hand as they design, build and test their models. They draw a blueprint for their design, select the construction materials and budget their expenditures. They also test their structures for strength and find their maximum loads.

Find the next hit movie based on trends by structuring and analyzing data in a spreadsheet. Time to complete: 6-9 hours

Plan and promote an upcoming event by creating to-do lists and assigning tasks to others. Time to complete: 6-9 hours

Promote an event by creating to-do lists and assigning tasks to others. Time to complete: 6-9 hours

Polymerase Chain Reaction - or PCR - is known as one of the most ubiquitous and powerful techniques in life science laboratories. PCR is a highly sensitive and selective method to produce many copies of a particular piece of DNA. This pathway details applications of PCR, its mechanism and primer design, and demonstrates how the method is used in the lab.