Blueprint for Success: Mastering the Engineering Design Process (Part 1)
Monday, Oct 14, 2024
Blueprint for Success: Mastering the Engineering Design Process (Part 1) is designed to equip STEM educators with the skills and knowledge necessary to introduce, apply, and integrate the engineering design process into their curriculum. This workshop takes teachers on an exploration journey of project-based learning (PBL), Energy Transfer, Wave Engineering, and Water Engineering, all pivoted around the engineering design process. The session starts with a brief introduction to PBL and the engineering design process, setting the foundation for the rest of the workshop. It continues with an immersive session on the physics of flight, where participants will delve into the design and experimentation of air foils, seed copters, and parachutes. The workshop then transitions into energy transfer and its alternatives. Here, educators will engage in a discussion and demonstration of various forms of energy, electrical circuits, conductivity, thermocouples, batteries, motors, and energy power. Each of these topics are discussed in the context of the engineering design process, focusing on practical applications and classroom implementation. The focus shifts to wave engineering, including kinetic energy, waveforms, and the optical properties of sound energy. Participants will learn about electromagnetic versus mechanical energy, and explore the shared properties of different wave types. In the final technical segment, the workshop covers water engineering, examining forces such as surface tension and buoyancy, hydrostatic forces, and hydraulics. Teachers will engage in hands-on experiments and demos, including a hydraulic arm design and an open-ended challenge that encourages creative problem-solving. The workshop concludes with a reflection period and a discussion of classroom connections, helping educators apply the concepts and techniques learned during the workshop to their classroom teaching practices. This workshop offers a comprehensive and engaging approach to understanding and teaching the engineering design process, creating a direct pathway for success in the STEM education field.