Engineering4kids


 * Engineering is the designed world - creating solutions with ideas, processes, tools, exploring the "designed world" that is different from scientific method and the natural world.

== Engineering Design Challenges==

Engineers like to learn by doing. So we have put together a series of Design Challenges to introduce engineering ideas, concepts associated with real world problems or needs. There are solutions for many but because of the nature of the problem and the solution, there could have been many different "answers." This is Engineering. At some point someone has to decide that a proposed solution is "perfect enough" and that's what gets done.

Your challenge is to review these engineering opportunities, re-examine the problem or need, and work through the "Engineering Design Process" yourself. We provided some ideas and resources. In some cases, we help by providing some details or questions.

We would love to get your feedback on the challenges themselves. But more importantly, we hope that you will share your solutions with us and the rest of the world - create your own Show and Tell. Send us a link and we will added it to the Challenge.

== Costa Concordia==

The cruise ship Costa Concordia hit a rocky outcropping off the coast of Italy and partially sank. Securing wreck site and protecting environment is an ongoing problem. The ship must be moved before it does any more damage to the fragile coast or breaks up and can not be removed by sea. details

Right and re-float the cruise ship Costa Concordia

The video describes the current situation and the plans to re-float the Costa Concordia. Once upright, and stabilized with vast floatation chambers, the ship will be towed to a shipyard where it will be taken apart for scrap.

You are on the engineering team that will plan and oversee the work. Your job is to ensure that important elements of the operation are not overlooked. The information in the video and images as well as web resources are available.

Each question corresponds to a step in the Engineering Design Process.

The ship can't stay where it is. It may break apart in a big storm. There is fragile coast line around its location. The ocean is really deep just a few miles away.
 * Ask (What? Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)

explore similar solutions, possible improvements, materials, methods, new ideas. What has to happen? How would you do this?
 * Imagine (So What? Imagine, brainstorm, explore)

Work out what it takes to build. Any special tools? prototype, scale model, mathematical model, CAD. What are some of the challenges. What would you need to know more about?
 * Plan (Now what? Plan, design)

How would you do this?
 * Create (Do it. Create, try it out)

Is there a simpler solution? A more complex solution?
 * Improve (If this then what? Improve, make it better)

Engineering vocabulary, concepts leavers, buoyancy, metallurgy, cantilevers, floatation, force, hydraulic pumps

Show and Tell Now it is your turn. Here are some challenges for you to work on...
 * Draw a floor plan for the rigging being put in place on the ocean bottom to lift the Costa Concordia from its side.
 * Give a presentation about the Costa Concordia's story so far.

Learn more...


 * Science of a Shipwreck: Costa Concordia - description, video detailing the ongoing wreckage removal


 * Salvaging the Costa Concordia - 60 Minutes crew visit the wreck and interview the team preparing the ship for righting and re-floating to be towed to salvage
 * Concordia wreck removal project informative website
 * Costa Concordia disaster
 * Titan Salvage - marine wreck removal


 * also...

Water harvesting
For more than 800 years, in the Golden Desert of India, rain water is harvested using a system of roof-top catchment surfaces that drain into an enclosed water storage. Millions of gallons of water are captured every year even though there is very few inches of water.

In the video, the presenter Anupam Mishra describes the amazing feats of engineering build centuries ago. In addition, he talks about some of the water ponds and the elaborate stairs and structures that celebrate the presence and quantity of water.

Water is the center of life Each question corresponds to a step in the Engineering Design Process.

There are only nine inches of rainfall per year but water must be available year round for people to live in the region. Ground water is 300 feet below ground and mostly saline.
 * Ask (What? Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)

New expensive concrete waterways to bring in water from the Himalayas to the Golden Desert have not been able to provided the water necessary to the towns and cities in the region.
 * Imagine (So what? Imagine, brainstorm, explore)

In addition to the water harvesting system, people have built elaborate structures to remind people that water is the center of life. It can be enjoyed for its beauty as well. They have even created beautiful structures, like the stairs described in the video to show exactly how much water is in storage.
 * Plan (Now what? Plan, design)

The process of water harvesting requires catchment and storage. Displays for enjoyment have also been built.
 * Create (Do it. Create, try it out)

Not all systems for water harvesting are equally successful. Some have worked for centuries. Modern ones, not very well at all.
 * Improve (If this then what? Improve, make it better)

Engineering vocabulary, concepts kund, harvest rain, catchment, slope, waterproofing, saline water, storage tanks, canal, zero-b water

Show and Tell Now it is your turn. Here are some challenges for you to work on...
 * Demonstrate the system described in the video. Describe the difficulties and special features in making the system work.
 * Design a structure that can also show the water level in the storage area.

Learn more...
 * kund - water harvesting
 * Jiagarh Fort - more than 400 years old, harvests 6+ million gallons of rainwater each season

== Henry Ford's Auto Racing Adventure==

Henry Ford raced to victory on a dirt track in Grosse Pointe on Oct. 10 1901, defeating Alexander Winton, the best race car driver at the time. In The Auto Race That Changed Everything video, Henry Ford wins a race in 1901 that gets him back into the car business after his earlier company went out of business. Henry Ford’s 1901 Sweepstakes racer story is a good example of the engineering design process in action.

A Winning 1901 Race Car

Henry Ford was a great engineer with good ideas, and the ambition and determination to build a successful car company. Watch The Auto Race That Changed Everything video and look for examples of how Henry identifies problems and solves them.

Each question corresponds to a step in the Engineering Design Process.

Henry Ford had some big problems to solve. The video talks about several in detail.
 * Ask (What? Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)

Henry Ford got help from many people to come up with the winner. There were not very many cars in 1901 and few people knew anything about them. So Henry found other people to help him - a bicycle racer and a dentist as well as others.
 * Imagine (So what? Imagine, brainstorm, explore)

Henry worked hard on his car design for many months before the race. As he decided what strategies to use for his race car and the race, he worked on all the different parts and how to make them work together. He needed a car that could perform well for a long race, even if it wasn't the fastest. It wasn't like modern car races where large crews are available to repair the car during the race.
 * Plan (Now what? Plan, design)

Henry's car was smaller and lighter than the other cars. His car included a number of performance enhancements as well.
 * Create (Do It. Create, try it out)

While he was building and testing his car, Henry made a number of changes as he learned more about the car's performance and the conditions for the race.
 * Improve (If this then what? Improve, make it better)

Engineering vocabulary, concepts wheels, power-train, cylinders, fuel injection, ignition, insulation, ceramics, spark plugs, speed trials, turn apex, endurance / sprint races

Show and Tell Now it is your turn. Henry solved a lot of problems building the car for the race. Here are some challenges for you to work on...


 * Pick one part of the car and explain and share a detailed solution design proposal for that component. There are some resources listed below but you are not limited to those.


 * Limit your solution to the technologies available in 1901, but with the hindsight of 112 years of engineering.


 * Suggest a solution using all of the modern technologies available today – e.g. carbon fiber, plastics, better metallurgy, modern machining, etc. This highlights the advances made in processes and materials since 1901.

Learn more...


 * The Auto Race That Changed Everything video - Edsel B. Ford II tells his great-grandfather's story with original pictures taken in 1901.


 * 100 Years of Ford Racing includes Henry Ford’s 1901 Sweepstakes racer


 * Ford Racing


 * Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race - book by Monica Kulling (Author), Richard Walz (Illustrator)


 * also

== Florida house==

Florida settlers in what became Volusia County, arriving in 1872, brought a few family treasures from home in the north, for example, Connecticut. Some had worked as ship-builders or farmers, so they knew how to do most of the work to build a new house in Florida.

These settlers worked through the steps of the Engineering design process to figure out what was the best house design and how to build it. Between the hurricane season and the cold winter nights, they needed to work quickly.

A practical Florida house in 1872

Florida settles came up with some designs that suited their new surroundings. They used materials they had available. They adapted their house plans to be suitable for the Florida climate. Explore their options and determine who they made their choices. Each question corresponds to a step in the Engineering Design Process.

Build a house using materials that can be gathered locally. Deal with the special needs unique to Florida - hot in summer, rain, hurricanes are common, cold in winter - often near freezing for several days each year. There are lots of trees - type and other materials are available. Some items needed for construction can be made, and other items have to be shipped from Sears & Roebuck.
 * Ask (What? Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)

similar solutions, possible improvements, materials, methods, new ideas. Houses at the time in other parts of the country were mostly brick. Need to make the house cooler in summer, and prepare for heavy rain and hurricanes. The settlers make whatever is necessary, practical, possible, and do without items that can't be made.
 * Imagine (So what? Imagine, brainstorm, explore)

Try out some ideas. Work out what it takes to build, any special tools, prototype, scale model, mathematical model, CAD. Build scale model. Build just one part ("sub-system") for demonstration
 * Plan (Now what? Plan, design)

Build the final design, and move in. Note| What surprises can come up while the house is being built? How can these be resolved?}}
 * Create (Do it. Create, try it out)

What would you do differently next time? What would you need to make improvements? Materials? Skills? Tools? Time? Money? What additional features are necessary or would be nice to have?
 * Improve (If this then what? Improve, make it better)

Engineering vocabulary, concepts HVAC, water storage, construction,

Show and Tell Now it is your turn. Here are some challenges for you to work on...
 * Describe the features of the Thursby House and how it solves the problems of living in Florida in the 1800s.
 * Create a model of a 1800s Florida house

Learn more...
 * Florida houses - breezeway - Gamble, Blue Spring
 * building materials
 * period construction methods
 * furniture
 * interior / exterior design styles
 * Louis P. Thursby House
 * Florida historic homes, Orlando Sentinel
 * Victorian preservation including Florida
 * Key West - houses, historic building
 * Oldest House in Florida - museum


 * also...

= Teaching and Learning=


 * /Simple Machines/ - inclined plane, gears - these are the basic concepts and devices used in everything mechanical


 * /Show and Tell/ - examples, resources - you aren't done until you can show it and explain it to someone else, preferably someone who needs it. There are many ways to do this so here are some suggestions. Learn these skills and practice this too.

== Introduction to Design Challenges==


 * Scientific inquiry is concerned with what is, while engineering design is focused on what can be. 

To illustrate engineering in the real world, we have selected "results" - solutions to design challenges, included some information about the challenge and asked the questions associated with the Engineering Design Process. In some cases, the underlying need has to be understood to even consider possible designs.

We can't stress enough that engineering is about communication. Having great ideas is important but that is only a small part of the job of engineers. Showing other people how these ideas work is essential. Understanding the solution well enough to explain it to others is critical. Each design challenge includes suggestions for "Show and Tell" as a reminder that you aren't done until you communicate your ideas to others.

Work through the challenge on your own. Lots of information was needed to understand the problem and to come up with this solution. Think about all the decisions that had to be made to come up with the final solution. Would you do something different based on what you know and the materials and technologies that are available today? Imagine how these challenges will be solved in the future as new and exciting developments in engineering become available.

These are yours to discover. Get those creative juices flowing. Imagine. Enjoy!

Design Challenge : statement

Every Design Challenge starts with a introduction and a "statement" to outline the need for an engineering solution. We think that you should figure out what the questions are. What do you need to know to design a solution for the challenge? We are here to help. To guide your thinking and problem solving, we include questions and some additional information associated with the questions. These correspond to steps in the Engineering Design Process.

There are usually some specific requirements and limitations for the challenge. To really understand the problem to be solved, you will need a lot of information. By asking a lot of questions now, you will better understand the need so you will be solving the right problem. It is really easy to come up with a great solution, only to find that it doesn't solve the design challenge need.
 * ASK (What? Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)

Ok, now you understand the need and you can really start thinking about solutions. Put your curiosity, creativity, innovation and imagination to work here. Think fast. Make notes and sketches. They don't have to be perfect or even possible. Do research. Talk about your ideas. Consider everything.
 * IMAGINE (So what?Imagine, brainstorm, explore)

Once you have sorted through the ideas and narrowed down the options, it is time to figure what it will take to actually build your solution. Time, resources and cost must be considered. Use them wisely. Usually you have to work to a schedule and a budget. There are often limits on the availability of resources - people, skills, materials, space, whatever. But you still need to get your solution built and delivered.
 * PLAN (Now what? Plan, design)

Finally, it is time to do the work. If you have done a good and thorough job on all the previous steps, the building phase should go smoothly. It rarely does, but it would be worse if you hadn't done all the prior steps.
 * CREATE (Do it, Create, try it out)

Think you are done? Nope - this is rarely the end. There is always something else. Maybe something was missed. Perhaps something doesn't work right. There are requirements that are just coming up now because everyone assumed that everyone knew these were requirements. Be prepared. This can be both frustrating and exciting as the solution takes shape and becomes even better.
 * IMPROVE (If this then what? Improve, make it better)

Engineering vocabulary, concepts There are specific terms that you need to know to talk with engineers working on these challenges. Engineers must learn about the basic structures, mechanisms and materials to produce safe, cost effective design solutions that can be built. We include some of the specific concepts that were used in this challenge.

Show and Tell Now it is your turn. Here are some challenges for you to work on... We think that everyone including engineers and designers learn best by doing and telling others about it. So we suggest some things that you can do, too.

Engineers always work as part of a team, so communication skills are an essential part of the job. We have included "show and tell" as a way to practice these important skills every time you come up with great solutions for the design challenges.

Come up with your own ideas. Think of wild and crazy alternate designs. Suggest a "better" solution. Remember, design engineers always have limitations as well as opportunities. The solution here may not be the "best" but it was what was build in the end. In some cases millions of decisions were made and thousands of really good ideas had to be left out. That's just the way it is with engineering design challenges. So it is possible that you can come up with a better solution.

Learn more...

The internet is a great place to explore and find more information about any subject. Sometimes finding the good stuff is hard. We include links to information that we found that was helpful in creating this design challenge. It is a place to start.

Ask Questions
''Here we are using an Engineering Design Challenge to show how to design a challenge. Sounds a bit weird but it works. It is all about being smart about asking questions.''

What is one essential skill that can facilitate all learning? What can we do in order to learn more, produce new ideas and generate creative solutions? We should ask questions. 

Learning by asking questions, using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) is a great addition to the Engineering Design Process. The Question Formulation Technique TM has just 3 steps.


 * 1) PRODUCE Your Own Questions
 * 2) IMPROVE Your Questions
 * 3) PRIORITIZE Your Questions

The folks at the Right Question Institute use the Question Formulation Technique to help people all over the world solve problems in education, healthcare, voter education to come up with innovative workable solutions.

Design Challenge : Formulate the questions first

By starting with a Question Focus statement and some basic rules for generating questions, you can learn a lot about the problem by asking questions. Any questions! The more questions, the better. Now, roll that into the Engineering Design Process, and look at your questions. What would be better questions? Which are the most important questions? What action can be taken to answer some of the important priority questions? What did you learn in this process?

The Question Focus (QFocus) is a statement about the challenge. The Rules for Producing Questions are part of this strategy for learning and problem solving. ''Ask as many questions as you can. Do not stop to discuss, judge or answer the questions. Write down every question exactly as it is stated. Change any statement into a question.'' This process will take some practice.
 * What? (Ask questions, understand the need, identify the problem)

1. PRODUCE Your Own Questions. Following the Rules for Producing Questions, ask questions, lots of them. Just write them down without discussion or solutions. Everything you record should be a question, so change any statements into questions.
 * So What? (Imagine, brainstorm, explore)

2. IMPROVE Your Questions. Categorize questions listed as closed-ended (Yes or No answer), or open-ended. Discuss the questions and switch some from one type to the other.
 * Now what? (Plan, design)

3. PRIORITIZE Your Questions. Some questions need to be answered to get going toward your solution. Start by picking 3. Think about how you picked the highest priority questions. If you can, discuss your questions and choices with others. Based on your questions and your priorities, these are your next steps. This will get you started.
 * Do It (Create, try it out)

Reflection - think about your questions. What did you learn from this?
 * If this then what? (Improve, make it better)

Engineering vocabulary, concepts Question Formulation Technique

Show and Tell Now it is your turn. Here are some challenges for you to work on...
 * create a Question Focus statement for the challenge you are going to work on. This could be a picture, diagram or video.


 * make lists of questions, open- and closed- question categories, prioritized questions, and notes about the prioritization process

Learn more...


 * Right Question Institute - the home of the Question Formulation Technique. This site focuses on teaching teachers about the technique.

== Directories, Repositories and Lists== resources, sources


 * This Is Engineering - Engineering is the designed world - creating solutions with ideas, processes, tools, exploring the "designed world" that is different from scientific method and the natural world.


 * Distinguishing between the natural and human made world, such as comparing tools with animal body parts, e.g., scissors vs. lobster claws and dog paws vs. rakes.


 * Engineering Design Process – all engineers follow this general process to design solutions. Solve the Engineering Design Challenges the way engineers do following the Engineering Design Process. Starting with a need, ask questions, explore possibilities, design and build a solution, and suggest improvements for Show and Tell (explaining, demonstrating and sharing).


 * Reality Check - Engineering school and real world problem solving - What you learn in Engineering School may not apply to what you do as an engineer in the world of work. You will likely be doing something way more interesting and important. Most engineers work on problems that didn't exist when they were engineering students. That's the exciting part of being an engineer. You have all the preparation, skills and knowledge needed to go out and solve the problems of the world. When you graduate from Engineering school you just don't know that yet.


 * The Right Question – asking questions is even more important than knowing the answers
 * Engineering Design Process – all engineers follow this general process to design solutions


 * /Nature and engineering/ - engineering concepts in Nature, modifying living things