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March 2020

Lessons from Lapses
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse Library of Congress print  
Their work touches every aspect of society, from buildings to cars to water systems, That's why professional engineers pledge to practice ethically and hold public health and safety paramount. Flawed design can lead to tragedy, however, like the 1940 collapse of wind-whipped Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Your engineers will confront hidden constraints and trade-offs in this month's activity marking National Ethics Awareness Month. See who puts people over profits!  
Activity: Evaluating the Ethics of Inventions

biometric screen of passengers at Dulles International Airport Customs and Border Patrol press conference 2018  
High school students analyze an assortment of popular devices to determine their intended beneficiaries as well as who has access to, might be harmed by, and is profiting from them. They then develop and apply class standards for ethical design to re-imagine those devices in a way that would do more good for humanity. 

RELATED LESSONS  
Reverse Engineer a Camera  (Grades 6-12)                           VeriScan facial recognition tablet at airport
Airbags and Collisions   (Grades 8-12)          U.S. Customs and Border Protection Photo by Glenn Fawcett
MORE LESSONS:
Grades K-5   |   Grades 6-8   |   Grades 9-12
 
 

cover image ASEE Prism magazine December 2019
A pair of air disasters exposes engineering mistakes and catalyzes real-world lessons for future professionals, as ASEE's Prism magazine cover story explores .
  
Read More     


RELATED FEATURES:    

Connecting STEAM and Ethics  Interview with Tufts University DevTech Research Group director
Troubled Waters: Engineering academics blow the whistle on flaws that imperil public health and safety
STEM Fail Lessons from Jaws
The Switch From Hell: GM's flawed ignition design (Prism cover story)
Ethics Education Through Photos   Journal of Engineering Education excerpt
Don't Call It a Celebration:  Canada's Iron Ring Reminds Engineers of Their Responsibility to Protect the Public
 
      
Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosman
Most kids think scientists and engineers are men. Mission Unstoppable With Miranda Cosgrove, a new CBS Saturday morning program geared toward viewers from 13 to 16 years of age, aims to dispel that stereotype by showcasing female STEM researchers and their exciting work in fields from biomedical engineering to zoology.


Bonus:  Celebrate Solar Week (March 23-27) with hands-on activities, Q&A sessions with solar scientists, and more  from the University of California Berkeley's Multiverse.
  
 
Teaching: NASA Webinars & Activities 

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch
Find ways to incorporate engineering design and real-world challenges into your classroom with  free, 60-minute webinars  from the  NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative  at Texas State University. 
   
NASA Photo: Astronaut Christina Koch
Other NASA webinars & activities:

* 3/27 -   Student Space Flight Experiments Program: New Mission in Sept. 2020
Announcements

Siemens Possibility Grant Sweepstakes. -- Teachers can win $!0,00 for their school to build and equip a top-tier STEM lab. Enter daily through April 28. Learn more.

Math Madness Lesson Plan Contest. -- K-12 teachers can win an iPad and Plickers from Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Enter by March 31. Learn more,

Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams.  -- High school students and mentors receive up to $10,000 to invent technological solutions to real-world problems. Apply by  April 6 . Learn more.

New! Knowles Academy Summer Courses. -- Top quality teacher training on designing instruction to engage STEM students via engineering, teamwork, and other techniques. Funding available on first-come, first-served basis, reducing costs to $100. Learn more.

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science & Mathematics Teaching. -- 
Applications for teachers in grades K-6 must be completed by May 1. Learn more. 

STEM Careers. -- Show students what engineers do with Discovering You: Engineering Your World, a new video series from NBCLearn, Chevron, and ASEE.   Learn more.
 
NASA Internships. -- High school and college students can work on sending the first woman to the moon and other missions. Apply for summer by  March 8.    Learn more.

Get the Math! -- WNET Channel 13 helps middle and high school students develop algebraic thinking skills through reality-TV-style videos and challenges. Learn more.

Next Gen STEM. -- TeachEngineering offers a free, searchable library of hundreds of activities aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Learn more.
 
LinkEngineering. -- The National Science Foundation-sponsored online community of practice offers helpful, if dated, learning resources.  Learn more.

Explore Our Site: Helpful Links for Teachers

Cynthia Breazeal Wants You to Make Friends with RobotsJetman: Flying Soon to a Landmark Near YouUnderwater Scooters are the New SCUBAEbone Pierce - Mechanical Engineering StudentTurning Air into WaterVertical Forest Coming Soon to Milan
bullet Prepare your students for engineering school with these 10 Essential Steps.
bullet Change your students' perceptions of engineering students.
bullet Introduce your students to young engineers who are already making a difference in the world.
bullet Stay up-to-date with cool engineering innovations.
bullet Find out about the engineering design process.
bullet Learn about the different types of engineering.
bullet Read excerpts of our latest magazine or full issues of earlier editions online.
bullet Check out all the items in our
bullet Explore lesson plans and class activities.
bullet View our archive of past newsletters.

   

If I Were an EngineerIt's never too early to learn about engineering. Along with our eGI magazine and classroom cards, Engineering, Go For It offers an engaging children's book in its collection of learning materials.

 

"If I Were an Engineer," from the American Society for Engineering Education, is a fun, 40-page rhyming book that introduces engineering to kids 5 to 8 years old. It includes a parent page that explains the various engineering disciplines.  


 

Price: $7.95

 

Now available in our store.  

 
About the eGFI Teachers' Newsletter
 
Delivered each month to your email inbox, our newsletter is packed with lesson plans and activities , resources , feature stories , and the latest developments in K-12 engineering education . eGFI is part of the American Society for Engineering Education ( ASEE ), a non-profit organization committed to enhancing efforts to improve STEM and engineering education.   

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