Project 3: Energy and the Environment
Very preliminary project ideas due Tuesday March 4
Preliminary project proposal due Thursday March 20
Project description web page due Tuesday March 25
Proof of concept prototype due Thursday March 27
First functional prototype due Thursday April 3
First test of functional prototype SATURDAY April 5 at Moving 4th into Engineering
First draft of student activity sheets due Thursday April 10
Fully functional prototype presentation due Thursday April 24
Project web site and complete documentation due Tuesday April 29
Complete project due Thursday May 1
Final presentation at Meeting of the Minds Wednesday May 7
For project 3, you will design, build and test prototypes of
activities that engage students in learning about energy and the
environment. The target audience are the middle school girls who
participate in the two-week summer SEE program at Carnegie
Mellon.
In class on Thursday February 28, we will brainstorm ideas about the
concepts children could learn about energy and the environment through
hands on learning. You will then form teams of 3 based on your
interests, skills and team preferences.
Your exhibit must:
- engage a child's curiosity to learn about energy and the environment
- appeal to all types of children, with differing levels of
knowledge and abilities
- be safe and durable
- use appropriate and sustainable technology
- employ principles of universal design
- consume supplies that can be procured easily and cheaply, or -
ideally - materials that can be found for free or recycled within the
exhibit
- include at least one part manufactured by the team
Very Preliminary Project Ideas: Tuesday March 4
During class on Tuesday March 4, each team will make a very informal
presentation of the ideas they have come up with. Each team should be
ready to present at three ideas for activities. You should have
several ideas to present. You can start with your favorite, but you
should have several backups in case your first choice doesn't work for
some reason.
Preliminary Project Idea: Thursday March 20
Each group will make an informal presentation of the
idea they plan to pursue. This session is designed to get the teams on
the right track early, so no one invests a lot of effort in an idea
that might not be suitable.
Even at the end of this class, your concept will still be
preliminary. You should plan on changing and improving your ideas as
you get feedback from me, your classmates, children, your friends, etc.
Project Description: Due Tuesday March 25
By March 25, each group must create a web page that answers
the following questions:
- What is the science or engineering concept that the children will learn?
- What will the children do and how will they learn it by
interacting with your exhibit?
- How does your activity meet the requirements given above?
- What supplies will be needed? What needs to be manufactured? If
appropriate, include a sketch of the activity.
Everyone in the class must register for Meeting of the Minds by Wednesday
April 9, but you can't register until you have an abstract approved by
me. We'll talk about this more in class.
Proof of concept prototype: Due Thursday March 27
Each team must bring a proof-of-concept prototype of their activity
to class. The purpose is to see whether the exhibit will work and to
get more concrete reactions and suggestions from the other teams. The
prototype can be made out of anything and can be ugly as all get out,
but it should demonstrate the concept and convince you that your idea
probably will or probably won't work.
Sequence of prototypes in April:
First functional prototype due Thursday April 3
First draft of student activity sheets due Thursday April 10
Fully functional prototype presentation due Thursday April 24
The details on these prototypes will be added later. We will have
groups of children coming to class to test the projects. Your first
test with children will be at Moving 4th
into Engineering on Saturday April 5th. Throughout this time, you
will be refining and improving your activity. I don't have a fixed
schedule for the visits yet.
Complete web site due Thursday April 29
Your web site should document your exhibit, explaining what it is
teaching and how it works. It should include enough information so
that if someone else wants to duplicate it, they would be able
to. This web site is for external consumption, so you should not
include the design process information that you put in your
portfolio.
Completed project due Thursday May 1
By Thursday May 1, you must turn in your completed project
Meeting of the Minds: Wednesday May 7
The final presentation of your project will be during Meeting of the
Minds. All the projects will be set up in the Conan Room. More
details to follow.
sfinger@ri.cmu.edu
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