Engineering is Elementary

Museum of Science, Boston

What comes to mind when you hear the word “technology”?

Technology in a BagTechnology in a Bag

• What is the technology?

• What does your technology do? What problem does it solve?

• How else could you use it?

• What material is it made of?

• What other materials could it be made of?

• How is the shape of the technology important to its function?

• How do the properties of the material contribute to the function?

• What are the benefits of one material over another?

Reflection

• Is there anything you would add to or remove from our original technology list?

• Is there anything in this room that is NOT a technology?

In EiE, we define In EiE, we define technology as:technology as:

Anything human-made that is used to solve a problem or fulfill a desire.

Technology can be an object, a system, or a process.

Redesign

• If we were to think about redesigning the spoon so that it functioned better as a shovel, what would you change and why?

• Who uses their knowledge of science and material properties to design technologies?

What is Engineering?What is Engineering?

What is the problem?

You need to solve this problem. What do you want to know before you start?

Constraints and Criteria

• 100 index cards and 1 foot of tape• Can uses scissors as a tool, not apart of the

design• May not test using the actual statue until after

the deadline• Elevate the statue at least 2 ft. ( no hanging

from ceiling)• Must support the statue for 10 seconds• You have 12.5 minutes

Using verbs, describe what you did during the design process.

The Engineering Design Process

ASK

IMAGINE

PLAN

CREATEIMPROVE

THE GOAL

To solve a problem by developing or improving a technology.

Criteria

ConstraintsSci. info

BrainstormingNo evaluation

Get specific with one idea

And test

EiE UnitsScience Topic Eng Field Technology CountryWater Environmental Water Filters IndiaInsects/Plants Agricultural Pollinators Dominican RepWind & Weather Mechanical Windmills DenmarkSimple Machines Industrial Chip Factory Design USA (Af Am)Earth Materials Materials Walls ChinaBalance & Forces Civil Bridges USA (Hisp)Sound Acoustical Sound Representation GhanaOrganisms Bioengineering Model Membranes El SalvadorElectricity Electrical Alarm Circuits AustraliaSolids & Liquids Chemical Playdough Process CanadaLandforms Geotechnical Bridge Siting NepalPlants Package Plant Package JordanMagnetism Transportation Maglev Vehicle JapanEnergy Sustainable Solar Cooker BotswanaSolar System Aerospace Parachute BrazilRocks & Minerals Materials Replicate an Artifact RussiaFloating & Sinking Oceans Submersible GreeceEcosystems Environmental Oil Spill Remediation USA (Nat Am)Light Optical Lighting System EgyptHuman Body Biomedical Knee Brace Germany

EiE Teacher Guide Structure

• Lesson 1: Engineering Story• Lesson 2: A Broader View of an

Engineering Field• Lesson 3: Scientific Data

Inform Engineering Design• Lesson 4: Engineering

Design Challenge