Bonneville
Home Energy Audit
Reduce energy consumption and save some money at the same time! The third of seven installments in the A Community Powered by Renewable Energy unit focuses on energy use in the home. Learners investigate the energy needs of small and...
Bonneville
Solar Site Assessment
Apply the mantra of real estate to solar panels: location, location, location. Learners use a Solar Pathfinder to conduct site assessments for possible spots on school grounds to place a solar module. They find the amount of insolation...
Bonneville
Photovoltaic Solutions "Shark-Tank Style"
Come up with a great idea and change the world for the better. Working in groups of three, learners apply their knowledge of photovoltaic systems to design a battery-powered electric vehicle capable of replacing gas-powered cars. They...
Bonneville
Designing a Solar Charger
The sun can even charge batteries. The fourth of five lessons in the Solar Transportation unit has pupils design a charger that uses solar modules to charge a 12-volt lead-acid battery. They estimate the charge that accumulates and...
Bonneville
Can Portable PV Charge Vehicles?
Take charge of learning about electric vehicles. Instructors first provide the class with information about PV modules and batteries. Learners then conduct an experiment where they connect PV modules in series and in parallel to...
Bonneville
Background Research on Alternative Transportation Vehicles
There's no alternative to a great research project. The second of five lessons in the Solar Transportation unit has scholars research different types of alternative vehicles. They determine the price, range, battery size, and cost to...
Bonneville
Replacing Fossil Fuels?
Burn through a instructional activity on fossil fuels. Pupils start a unit by considering why it is difficult to phase out fossil fuels. Using provided data on the energy densities and efficiencies of different fuels, they calculate the...
DiscoverE
Everyday Engineering: Water Pollution Clean Up
Water, water, everywhere, but pollution is a major problem. Scholars design a filtration device or process that removes dirt and other particles from water. They use various household objects such as marbles, cotton balls, or coffee...
University of Colorado
Designing a Spectroscopy Mission
Design a mission over the rainbow. Small groups spend several weeks together determining a mission related to spectroscopy. The teams build spectrographs and analyze the design to determine whether it will carry out the mission. At the...
Teach Engineering
Keep Your Boat Afloat
Use whatever material floats your boat. Working in groups, scholars decide on a type of metal and a type of coating to use for building a boat. They test their creations by leaving their boats in a pool of water for several days before...
Teach Engineering
How Can We Prevent the Corrosion Crisis?
Contemplate the causes of corrosion. An interesting activity has learners first conduct an experiment where they place nails in different types of water. Based on the results, they consider how corrosion occurs and how engineers need to...
Koshland Science Museum
Infectious Disease: Evolving Challenges to Human Health High School Virtual Field Trip
Understanding the science of the spread of infectious diseases is the first step in controlling them. Learners begin by researching the factors that affect the contraction and spread of these diseases and the challenges communities face...
National Academy of Sciences
Lights at Night Webquest
Help learners find ways to become more efficient energy consumers. To start, individuals research how different countries address energy efficiency and then analyze their own carbon footprint. They use their research to identify ways to...
National Academy of Sciences
Infectious Diseases: Bird Flu Today
Understanding how viruses spread has never been more important. A well-designed WebQuest lesson has young scientists research viruses, how they spread, and how they are treated. They also consider the trends in common viruses in the world.
DiscoverE
Bridges, Buildings and Beyond Activity Packet: Grades 9-12
Shore up engineering knowledge with some building activities. Scholars design a foam beam, create a structure from playing cards, and construct a paper tower that won't topple over in the wind. Along the way, they learn about engineering...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Battling Vector-Borne Diseases: Factors That Affect the Mosquito Life Cycle
Slow the spread of disease by slowing disease carriers in their tracks. Learners explore just how they might accomplish this as they experiment with the life cycle of a mosquito under different conditions. Scholars design and conduct...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Gelatin Microfluidics
Micro what? Analyze microfluidics as an application in the medical community. A lab investigation highlights the importance of channel design in biotechnology. Learners modify channels and observe the behavior of the flow of the fluids.
Kenan Fellows
Analyzing Speed from Different Modalities
Show us your moves. Using sensor equipment, scholars track the motion of different movements, such as jogging, skipping, or jump roping. They analyze velocity and acceleration and create graphs representing each movement.
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – The Importance of Water
Water is essential for life—and understanding the importance of clean drinking water is essential in understanding sustainability! Show your environmental science class the basics of water testing and treatment through a week-long...
Kenan Fellows
Evaluating Sensors and the Impacts of Physiological Stress: Designing a Wearable Device for Rescue Workers
A long-term project has scholars consider ways in which sensors help monitor physiological stress levels of rescue workers. They design and create a portable device for this purpose. Techies to the rescue!
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Lab On A Slab
Capillary action is the frugal chemist's dream ... the less liquid used, the more tests they can run! Learners experiment with the best design to maximize the benefits of capillary action. Using a liquid sample, they design a capillary...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
The Effects of Colloidal Silver on Microbial Growth: Investigating Snake Oil Science
Can your classes solve the problem of the smelly sweat sock? Young scientists complete a lab investigation that begins by using electrochemistry to generate colloidal silver. They use their solutions to test the rate of microbial growth...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
What’s In Your Neighborhood?
Chart your way to an understanding of nanoscale. Using a Google map, learners estimate a radius around their location of 1,000 and 1,000,000 meters. Predicting what 1,000,000,000 meters would look like takes them off the charts!...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Silver and Bandages: Assessment of Inhibition of Bacteria by Silver Colloid-Impregnated Bandages
Silver: more than jewelry, it's also a natural antimicrobial agent. An inquiry-based lesson asks collaborative groups to design and implement an experiment to test this property. Using samples of silver nanoparticles and a strain of...