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Introductions Tom.. A little bit about… A bit about you… background, how you will be using this intere

Introductions Tom.. A little bit about… A bit about you… background, how you will be using this interests concerns The Plan…. Today’s Session- 2 hours Introductions- 10 min. Quick overview of Engineering Design

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Introductions Tom.. A little bit about… A bit about you… background, how you will be using this intere

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  1. Introductions Tom.. A little bit about… A bit about you… background, how you will be using this interests concerns The Plan…

  2. Today’s Session- 2 hours Introductions- 10 min. • Quick overview of Engineering Design and why it is important- 15 min. • A quick example of how you use this kind of thinking every day- 5min. • Lab Activity- Balloon Powered Cars- 60 min. • Debrief/Sharing- 15 min. • Questions and additional activities-15 min.

  3. Today we will explore what engineers do and use the process they use to design things that make the world a better place to live in

  4. Think about 3 things that are NOT normally engineered. • Quickly identify some things that are NOT engineered

  5. Did you think of these kind of things?

  6. All of our “Stuff” is Designed & Engineered

  7. What do Engineers Do? • They make “stuff” better- Innovate • Compare the telephone or car of your grandparents to today’s phone or car • TheyInvent new products • Cell Phones, personal computers, X box, the Mars lunar lander & battery powered tools were not around when I was your age

  8. How do they do it? • Engineers most often work in teams to bring different skills, perspectives and experiences to the table • Engineers today follow a flexible process that is similar to the Scientific Method

  9. Step 1 Identify the Need orProblem Step 2 Research the Need or Problem Step 8 Redesign Step 7 Communicate the Solution(s) Step 3 Develop PossibleSolution(s) Step 6 Test and Evaluate theSolution(s) Step 4 Select the Best PossibleSolution(s) Step 5 Construct a Prototype The Engineering Design Process A flexible structure used by engineers to guide them through problem solving From the state of Massachusetts… there are others!!! * * * *

  10. You already use this process to solve every day problems. A quick and simple explanation using an everyday task… I’m hungry… what’s for dinner A more technical problem … the connectors on a life vest don’t work after a couple of months

  11. Today Balloon Cars

  12. Step 1: Define the Problem Using only the materials provided, design and construct a balloon powered car that will travel at least 15 feet. You may cut or reshape the materials You must draw at least three alternative plans before starting construction You do not need to use everything in the kit

  13. Step 2: Research • Investigate or study the materials available • You must sketch three designs (no materials until you have 3 drawings) • Think about what you have seen on similar toys or structures (2, 3 or 4 wheels?), car bodies of craft sticks, cardboard or combo? • Break it down into subsystems: power system, car body, wheel and axle

  14. Some Things to Think About What are the big issues in this project? Working as a team and listening to each other We need to minimize resistance… to do that we need to reduce friction and weight We need to consider aerodynamics (another form of resistance) The wheels need to be able to turn The wheels need to rotate parallel to each other The air flow out of the balloon or balloons needs to be controlled Keep it simple, we only have so much time to work with

  15. Step 3 & 4: Design & Pick

  16. Step 5 & 6: Build & Test

  17. Step 7: Refine

  18. Step 8: Tell us about it (if time allows)) What was your basic plan? What did you learn in the building and testing? How would you improve your solution?

  19. To Review: Our Plan Today: Think about the materials & problem Make Plans and Pick One to Build Build and Test Have fun Engineering Redesign to Improve

  20. The Activity Balloon Powered Cars: Design and construct a balloon powered car that will travel at least 15 feet. Each team of two or three will be given a kit of materials. You may only use the materials in your kit to complete the design problem. You can not start construction until you have 3 options drawn on your sheet You may want to break the problem into systems… power, body, wheel & axle There will be a selection of shared equipment available in front of the room. There will be cutters for the dowels and cardboard in the front of the room. You have about 20 min. to build. Hint… test/fail early, test/fail often We will have a sharing session when done if time allows

  21. Have fun… …but first… groups of 2 or 3

  22. Planning… draw at least three possible plans. You have 10 minutes Use timer link on the desktop Building… build your first car and test it. Try to have one built in 20 minutes. Redesign or Improve… keep redesigning, building and testing as time allows Communication (as time allows)… How were you going to solve the problem at the beginning? What worked and what did not work? What would you do next if you had more time? What did you learn in this activity?

  23. Contact Info: Tom Gralinski Clark Science Center, Smith College Northampton, MA 01063 413-585-3932 tgralins@smith.edu

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