Physics/Engineering build projects for kids
Discussion
Hello all,
My first post in this sub-forum. My employer has something we know as Corporate and Social Responsibility, basically they pay for engineers and scientists time like me to do various things with kids to promote science and enginereing. In the last 6+ months I've become more involved in this type of activity and have really enjoyed it. I've been asked to design a new course to deliver to year 11's so around 16 year olds.
What I need to come up with is a design and make project that should last around 3 days, basically come up with a design, build, present to the group of about 50 kids and course helpers. It needs to be challenging, fun, nothing that can kill them or me and teach the kids about phyics/engineering. I've delievered a simialr course but to 12,13,14 year olds but need something a bit more in depth. I have a decent budget of about 8k to come up with something.
My discipline is nuclear engineering, and my employer is in the nuclear sector. My inital thought was to try and come up with some kind of reactor-obviosuly without any fissle material, a cosmic ray detector has also been proposed?
Anyone got an ideas? Virtual beer tokens on offer....
My first post in this sub-forum. My employer has something we know as Corporate and Social Responsibility, basically they pay for engineers and scientists time like me to do various things with kids to promote science and enginereing. In the last 6+ months I've become more involved in this type of activity and have really enjoyed it. I've been asked to design a new course to deliver to year 11's so around 16 year olds.
What I need to come up with is a design and make project that should last around 3 days, basically come up with a design, build, present to the group of about 50 kids and course helpers. It needs to be challenging, fun, nothing that can kill them or me and teach the kids about phyics/engineering. I've delievered a simialr course but to 12,13,14 year olds but need something a bit more in depth. I have a decent budget of about 8k to come up with something.
My discipline is nuclear engineering, and my employer is in the nuclear sector. My inital thought was to try and come up with some kind of reactor-obviosuly without any fissle material, a cosmic ray detector has also been proposed?
Anyone got an ideas? Virtual beer tokens on offer....
Not a specific idea and obviously you don't want to duplicate it... But this is a very good programme
http://www.f1inschools.co.uk/
I think the way the best design can be measured/quantified is excellent.
With that in mind, why not have them design and construct a cooling system for, say, a volume of hot (boiling) water?
Lots of scientific principles there, some good engineering, rate of cooling can be easily measured and quantified to identify best design. Shouldn't be too expensive but the sky is sort of the limit too.
http://www.f1inschools.co.uk/
I think the way the best design can be measured/quantified is excellent.
With that in mind, why not have them design and construct a cooling system for, say, a volume of hot (boiling) water?
Lots of scientific principles there, some good engineering, rate of cooling can be easily measured and quantified to identify best design. Shouldn't be too expensive but the sky is sort of the limit too.
Start with "what cool things could I do with £8,000", and work back from that to "here's why this cool thing is scientific".
What about high altitude ballooning? split them into teams, give them a weather balloon each, cheap camera, get them to send the camera up under the balloon and recover it. Balloon that goes furthest wins. Plenty of stuff about that on the web, possibly even a couple of self build kits for electronic gubbins if they are that way inclined.
What about high altitude ballooning? split them into teams, give them a weather balloon each, cheap camera, get them to send the camera up under the balloon and recover it. Balloon that goes furthest wins. Plenty of stuff about that on the web, possibly even a couple of self build kits for electronic gubbins if they are that way inclined.
dxg said:
A stirling engine?
Would be quite tricky, though.
Maybe not: www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Stirling-Engines-Without-Ma...Would be quite tricky, though.
Sorry, did not realise they had to design it themselves.
In which case, get them to build a robot for decommissioning a reactor - or for maintaining a running one. Should be doable for 16 year olds if the task is well defined and doesn't have too many stages.
>You< could make a model reactor in which, say, a fuel rod have to be lifted and replaced. Give them a bunch of lego (with motors and wired controls) and set them to it!
If you want to make it truly educational make sure there's a thinking/planning bit, a trial run with a prototype robot, a rethinking / rebuilding stage, and then the final (this relates to learning styles / learning cycle).
Might cost a bit of money, though. Lego's not cheap. And you'd have to build x n reactor models. Or one big one that they all test their robots on at the end of the day / week.
Maybe?
(But think of the the Lego you'd be left to play with at the end...)
In which case, get them to build a robot for decommissioning a reactor - or for maintaining a running one. Should be doable for 16 year olds if the task is well defined and doesn't have too many stages.
>You< could make a model reactor in which, say, a fuel rod have to be lifted and replaced. Give them a bunch of lego (with motors and wired controls) and set them to it!
If you want to make it truly educational make sure there's a thinking/planning bit, a trial run with a prototype robot, a rethinking / rebuilding stage, and then the final (this relates to learning styles / learning cycle).
Might cost a bit of money, though. Lego's not cheap. And you'd have to build x n reactor models. Or one big one that they all test their robots on at the end of the day / week.
Maybe?
(But think of the the Lego you'd be left to play with at the end...)
When I was a student we were given "Great Egg Race" style challenges for design and make.
These varied from year to year. There was a long series of carts powered by a baked been can (any way you could do it but it had to be an unopened baked been can). The carts then competed to see which would go farthest, which could climb over the most obstacles, etc.
Or make a Trebuchet or a "Soap Box" kart like the ones that used to race at Goodwood.
These varied from year to year. There was a long series of carts powered by a baked been can (any way you could do it but it had to be an unopened baked been can). The carts then competed to see which would go farthest, which could climb over the most obstacles, etc.
Or make a Trebuchet or a "Soap Box" kart like the ones that used to race at Goodwood.
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