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Hurricanes

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Students learn what causes hurricanes and what engineers do to help protect people from destruction caused by hurricane winds and rain. Research and data collection vessels allow for scientists and engineers to model and predict weather patterns and provide forecasts and storm warnings to the public. Engineers are also involved in the design and building of flood-prevention systems, such as levees and floodwalls. During the 2005 hurricane season, levees failed in the greater New Orleans area, contributing to the vast flooding and destruction of the historic city. In the associated activity, students learn how levees work, and they build their own levees and put them to the test!

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Abby Watrous, Brian Kay, Denise W. Carlson, Janet Yowell, Karen King, Kate Beggs

Marine animal tracking

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The following lesson is an introduction to the ideas and implications of animal tracking. Animal tracking is a useful method used within science and commercial industries. For instance, when planning the development coastal areas, animal presence and movement should be taken into consideration. The lesson engages students in an activity to monitor animal foraging behavior on a spatial scale. The students will break into groups and track each other's movements as they move through a pre-determined course. The results will be recorded both individually and collaboratively in an attempt to understand animal movement regarding foraging behavior. Students will also engage in a creative design activity, focusing on how they would design a tag for a marine animal of their choice. In conclusion, instructors will query the class on data interpretation and how spatial information is important in relation to commercial, conservation, and scientific research decisions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Heather Kerkering, Jonelle Stovall, Kimberly Goetz, Melissa Sanderson

The Heart of Our Cardiovascular System

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Students learn about the heart and its role at the center of the human cardiovascular system. In the associated activity, students play out a scenario in which they are biomedical engineers asked to design artificial hearts. They learn about the path of blood flow through the heart and use that knowledge to evaluate designs of artificial hearts on the market.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Angela D. Kolonich

Digital Mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

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Geographic information systems (GIS), once used predominantly by experts in cartography and computer programming, have become pervasive in everyday business and consumer use. This unit explores GIS in general as a technology about which much more can be learned, and it also explores applications of that technology. Students experience GIS technology through the use of Google Earth on the environmental topic of plastics in the ocean in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The use of this topic in GIS makes the unit multidisciplinary, incorporating the physics of ocean currents, the chemistry associated with pollutant degradation and chemical sorption to organic-rich plastics, and ecological impact to aquatic biota.

Material Type: Full Course, Unit of Study

Authors: Andrey Koptelov, Nathan Howell

The Earth is a Changin'

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This lesson introduces and describes the main types of erosion (i.e., chemical, water, wind, glacier and temperature). Students learn examples of each type of erosion and discuss how erosion changes the surface of the Earth. Students also learn why engineers need to be aware of the different types of erosion in order to protect structures and landmarks from the damaging effects erosion can cause. Figure 1 is an excellent illustration of water erosion.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

Authors: Carlo Yuvienco, Paul Phamduy

Design, Build and Test Your Own Landfill

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Students design and build model landfills using materials similar to those used by engineers for full-scale landfills. Their completed small-size landfills are "rained" on and subjected to other erosion processes. The goal is to create landfills that hold the most garbage, minimize the cost to build and keep trash and contaminated water inside the landfill to prevent it from causing environmental damage. Teams create designs within given budgets, test the landfills' performance, and graph and compare designs for capacity, cost and performance.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Denise W. Carlson, Jean Parks

Renewable Energy Living Lab: The Bright Idea

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Students use real-world data to evaluate the feasibility of solar energy and other renewable energy sources in different U.S. locations. Working in small groups, students act as engineers evaluating the suitability of installing solar panels at four company locations. They access data from the online Renewable Energy Living Lab from which they make calculations and analyze how successful solar energy generation would be, as well as the potential for other power sources at those locations. Then they summarize their results, analysis and recommendations in the form of feasibility plans prepared for a CEO.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Jessica Noffsinger, Jonathan Knudtsen, Karen Johnson, Mike Mooney, Minal Parekh, Scott Schankweiler

Sea Turtle Eggs: Washed to Sea?

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Students employ the full engineering design process to research and design prototypes that could be used to solve the loss of sea turtle life during a hurricane. During Hurricane Irma, Florida lost a large proportion of its sea turtle nests. Protecting these nests from natural disasters or even human influence is an essential component of conservation in Florida, since only one hatchling in every thousand survives to adulthood. In this activity, students learn about sea turtle nesting behaviors and environmental impacts of hurricanes. Students work collaboratively to build structures that could protect a single sea turtle nest, or an entire beach, in the event of a hurricane or other similar weather disaster. Then, students present their solutions to concerned stakeholders. As an optional extension, students can build prototypes using 3D printers or 3D pens.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Mackenzie McNickle