The Green Machine Winter Academy just wrapped up today! We had so much fun teaching such a great group of students! It has been an amazing week filled with exciting engineering activities and engaging lessons. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our virtual academy! We hope to see all of you in our next sessions, Space Race and Bio Bosses, in March and April.
Here is a quick recap of our academy. On day one, we started off with an introduction to environmental engineering, what an environmental engineer does, and some real world applications of environmental engineering. We then watched videos of environmental engineers in action to learn about their creative problem solving skills, as well as the engineering design process.
On day two, students were introduced to renewable energy and how it’s captured. Together, we explored specific types of renewable energy including solar energy, wind energy, hydroelectric energy, tidal energy, and geothermal energy. We finished off by playing two virtual games, the first of which challenged the students to select the most effective type of energy given the specific attribute of an area. The second encouraged students to think like real engineers by asking them to balance the size and efficiency of the energy system within monetary constraints.
On day three, we learned all about marine engineering! We first explored what marine engineers do, and the various opportunities in this field. Putting their knowledge to the test, students were challenged to create 3D renderings of different objects in TinkerCAD, a 3D modeling software, and classified which models would be optimal to float in water. Discussing the types of buoyancy and Archimedes’ Principle, we analyzed real-world examples. Then, in breakout rooms, students worked on building “The Strongest Boat” using recyclable materials. We finished the lesson by discussing the characteristics of real vessels, and shared the number of coins that our boats held, along with important design features.
"I created a floating boat using popsicle sticks and tin foil, and I was able to put 28-30 coins on it before it started to sink"
"I built my boat by blowing into my bag to make it buoyant. I then used waterproof tape to wrap around the bag and attach a piece of cardboard. It could take 2.4 pounds.”
On our last day, we started our lesson with discussing the role of disaster relief engineers specifically in disaster management. Next, we learned about how drones can be quickly deployed in disaster zones, can produce 3D maps, and transport materials. Students then cut out and built their own drone rotor’s which gave them an opportunity to see the principles of aerodynamics first-hand. Transitioning to civil engineering, we learned about how drone footage can help rebuild bridges. Together, we also looked at sustainable materials engineers use to construct bridges and roads. Finishing the lesson in breakout rooms, students worked on constructing and testing bridges virtually. Each bridge challenge contained several levels, and specific constraints, such as material, size of material, and money.
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