Instructional Video3:17
PBS

Hot Shots and Hot Jobs: Biomechanical Engineering of a Nano-Tattoo

3rd - 12th
The job of the biomechanical engineer is to figure out how physical forces influence living organisms. The narrator describes the education needed, while a fascinating video shows how engineers develop tattoos that can control remote...
Instructional Video3:16
PBS

Career Connections | CNC Die Shop Machinist

6th - 12th
Ever wonder where they get all those little parts that go into machines that make stuff? Welcome to the world of the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) die shop machinist. A short video looks at the training and education required for a...
Instructional Video3:59
PBS

Career Connections | Chemical Engineer

6th - 12th
Like chemistry? Like math? Like research? A short video explains how scholars can combine those interests into a successful career as a chemical engineer. The chemical engineer featured in this episode is flush with success.
Instructional Video5:40
PBS

Career Connections | Architect Sports Planner

6th - 12th
Part of the thrill of sports is getting to see competition in person at an athletic facility or stadium. Find out what it takes to become a sports venue architect with a short video that features an architect who designs such...
Instructional Video2:36
PBS

Career Connections | Advanced Manufacturing Engineer

6th - 12th
Imagine engineering robotic assembly machines! That's one of the many tasks taken on by advanced manufacturing engineers. A PBS video explains what it takes to be a manufacturing engineer in the auto industry.
Activity3:32
DiscoverE

At Home: Keep a Cube Activity

3rd - 8th
Let cooler heads prevail. Future engineers first learn about heat transfer and insulation. They then design and build a contraption that will prevent an ice cube from melting for as long as possible.
Activity1:47
DiscoverE

Everyday Engineering: Foil Boats

3rd - 8th
Keep one's dream of becoming an engineer afloat. Learners apply the engineering design process to build a boat out of aluminum foil. They start with a square boat, then consider whether boats of different shapes would be able to hold...
Activity2:40
DiscoverE

At Home: Safe Landing Activity

3rd - 8th
A parachute is probably a good idea. An engaging lesson has pupils brainstorm ways to slow the descent of a falling object to minimize the impact when it lands. They decide on a design, build a prototype, test it out, and then make...
Activity1:55
DiscoverE

Everyday Engineering: Windy City Tower

3rd - 12th
A little wind shouldn't hurt a building. Given three sheets of paper and six feet of tape, scholars create a structure that can withstand wind and hold up a weight. They conduct tests using a fan and decide on any improvements to make...
Activity2:46
DiscoverE

Everyday Engineering: Tennis, Anyone?

3rd - 8th
Take a swing at a fun activity. Pupils first watch a video that introduces the concept of elasticity in association with tennis rackets. They then design their own rackets and build them out of available materials.
Activity2:08
DiscoverE

Everyday Engineering: Build an Earthquake Resistant Structure

3rd - 8th
Shake, rattle, and learn! Future engineers build structures out of toothpicks or spaghetti sticks, using marshmallows as connectors. They then use a homemade shake table to test the sturdiness of their creations.
Activity2:11
DiscoverE

DiscoverE Challenge: Pen Factory

3rd - 8th
Manufacture a great lesson on industrial manufacturing. A fun resource has learners use the production of pens to consider how assembly lines work. They write out a set of instructions for assembling a pen, test it out, then determine if...
Activity2:29
DiscoverE

DiscoverE Challenge: Tallest Cup Tower

K - 8th
Dream big and build tall. Scholars build the tallest tower possible out of plastic or paper cups. They apply the engineering design process to refine their designs and see if they can make their towers even taller.
Activity2:28
DiscoverE

DiscoverE Challenge: Critical Load

3rd - 8th
Take a load off .. and put the weight on a house of cards. Scholars learn about civil engineering and critical loads by building the sturdiest house possible out of a dozen playing cards. They conduct tests by placing pennies or other...
Instructional Video5:23
TED-Ed

Why Isn’t the Netherlands Underwater?

6th - 12th
When picturing the Netherlands, many imagine windmills, tulips, wooden clogs, Dutch chocolate, and idyllic waterways. Find out what role the waterways and windmills play in the vast Delta Works project that protects a country that has a...
Instructional Video5:05
TED-Ed

Why Doesn’t the Leaning Tower of Pisa Fall Over?

6th - 12th
The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa doesn't lean as much as it used to. Why it did, and why it doesn't as much as it used to, is the focus of a short film that reveals the engineering behind the construction and the various efforts over the...
Instructional Video10:25
1
1
Crash Course

The Biggest Problems We're Facing Today and the Future of Engineering: Crash Course Engineering #46

9th - 12th
Be the future of engineering. Scholars learn about the future of engineering, particularly in the areas of sustainability, infrastructure, security, health, and general quality of life. The informational video looks at several examples,...
Instructional Video9:42
Crash Course

Building a Desalination Plant from Scratch: Crash Course Engineering #44

9th - 12th
Did you know that only 2.5 percent of Earth's water is drinkable? An engaging video describes the process of engineering design to solve real-world problems by using a desalination plant as an example. Scholars learn about design...
Instructional Video4:47
Bite Sci-zed

Biomimicry

7th - 11th Standards
Nature often offers the best inspiration. Scholars learn about biomimicry and how humans often copy nature to create new products. They explore real-world examples such as including solar panels that mimic leaves, the texture of shark...
Instructional Video5:24
TED-Ed

How Do Self-Driving Cars “See”?

9th - Higher Ed Standards
What do you get when you mix LiDAR and integrated photonics technology? Why a self-driving car, of course. A fascinating short video describes how light detection and ranging, LiDAR for short, and integrated photonics technologies enable...
Instructional Video5:04
TED-Ed

Will There Ever Be a Mile-High Skyscraper?

6th - 12th
It seems like skyscrapers are getting taller and taller these days. An interesting video explains the challenges of constructing tall skyscrapers. It uses several examples of existing buildings to show how engineers overcome these...
Instructional Video6:43
1
1
Nature League

Nature + Engineering

6th - 12th Standards
Viewers observe many nature-inspired examples in technology, household items, and health care with the final video in a five-part series on Evolution and Speciation. The video focuses on human engineers inspired by earth's wonders. 
Instructional Video11:05
Crash Course

Reversibility and Irreversibility: Crash Course Engineering #8

9th - 12th
Reversibility in cars isn't about driving backwards. An informative YouTube video describes how the degree of reversibility in a system determines its efficiency. It explains the concept using an example of the pistons in a car engine...
Instructional Video12:55
Crash Course

Why We Can't Invent a Perfect Engine: Crash Course Engineering #10

9th - 12th
Your car's engine is likely to be only 20 percent thermally efficient. Why so inefficient? Viewers of the 10th video in an engineering series learn how the second law of thermodynamics and entropy limit the efficiency of a car engine....