Teach Engineering
Sugar Spill!
Sugar isn't good for you, but it's great for yeast! Scholars design an experiment to investigate how variables affect the rate of sugar consumption in yeast. The last installment of a nine-part Life Science unit considers how scientists...
Serendip
Is Yeast Alive?
Through two investigations, life science learners determine whether or not yeast is alive. They perform tests for metabolism by providing sugar and observing if gas is produced as a byproduct. They incubate some of the sample for at...
Teach Engineering
Corn for Fuel?!
Can corn power the world? Young scientists learn about how corn and other plants can provide renewable biofuels in the second of nine lessons. They set up an experiment to investigate how different variables affect plant growth. All of...
Teach Engineering
Water Remediation Lab
Water filtration — that's pure genius! Groups test the ability of a water filter to purify water by running chlorine contaminated water through a filter and measuring the chlorine concentrations as they filter the water. They then graph...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Safe Stopping Robot
A challenge for students to design and engineer a robot that turns itself off when it leaves a safe area. This challenge contains tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer an Automated Wrapping Machine
On this site, find a challenge to design and build a machine that can make plane fuselage by wrapping a mold just like Boeing's carbon fiber placement machines. While working on the challenge, students will find a lesson plan, tips, and...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Fuel Level Detector
This site contains a challenge for students to engineer a sensor that can detect how much fuel is in your tank. The site also contains tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer an Electronic Water Level Detector
Make a device that will notify people when the water level drops in this challenge. Students will do this by building an open circuit that completes when the water level drops below a certain level and/or goes above a certain level. The...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Self Deploying Device
Construct a device that opens up when thrown into the air on this website. The website also includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer an Airfoil
Do you know how an airplane flys? Use this challenge to learn about flight by building a wing that can generate lift from a fan while carrying weight. Find details about the challenge, tips, and a lesson plan on this site. Also, students...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Skyscraper for the Wind
A challenge for students to build a skyscraper that stands strong in the wind and is at least 18 inches tall. This challenge includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Bird Beak
In this challenge, students will construct a beak that will allow them to pick up as much food as possible in one try without using their hands. This website includes the challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Space Tool
Using common household items, make a tool that an astronaut could use to pick up an object in space. This site also includes tips, lesson plans, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer an Exoskeleton
This site challenges students to build a wearable device that will detect when your body moves. The site contains tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Design Process: Creating a Stronger Truss
This is an interesting project that explores which geometrical shapes make the strongest bridge truss structures. It is a good introduction to the engineering design process. You'll design three different trusses, and use online...
PBS
Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Balloon Drive
Hands-on challenge "to make a helium balloon hover in one spot, then move it through an obstacle course using air currents". Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to design, build, and test the balloon's movement. Activity...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Hull Design and Hydrodynamics
Experiment with designs of different hulls for boats to see which hulls are suited for which purpose. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Communication Network
Using some everyday household materials, students are challenged to design and build a network to send communication signals in multiple directions to multiple people. To help students accomplish this challenge there are tips, a lesson...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Engineer a Flow Control System
In this engineering challenge, students will build a system that controls the movement of material and shuts off automatically. This site includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their design process.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Design Your Own Milk Carton Boat
Design different hull designs for boats from milk cartons and experiment with which hull will glide the fastest, be most maneuverable, and which will support the most weight. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Joystick
As part of this engineering project, students will design and build a joystick that can turn on and turn off multiple things. The website also includes a lesson plan, tips to accomplish the challenge, and a place for students to document...
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Plane Painting Machine
A challenge where student create a plane painting machine which draws a design on your airplane. The site includes the challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Magnetic Nanoparticle Coating
Interested in nanoparticles? Use this challenge to design a coating for a magnet that will pick up different surfaces. Challenge includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Technovation
Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Disperse Seeds Far and Wide
Students are challenged to engineer a device that will carry a seed at least 3 feet from where it is launched. Students are given access to a site that gives them tips, and a place to document their engineering design process. Also, a...