Teachers

Grades 6-8 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will learn about thermal energy and heat transfer. They will work together as they try to harness the energy of the sun by designing, creating, and testing a solar cooker that could help developing countries around the world.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will work together to design and build a device that will turn their smartphone into a working microscope. This “smartscope” will allow them to view, photograph, and record specimens in the science lab and in the field.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will work in teams to create an innovative design for their own parachute using a variety of materials.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will investigate different kinds of catapults as they explore how counterweights and levers work to launch projectiles into the air. In teams, they will build mini-catapults for a class-wide challenge.

Grades 6–8 | 45–60 minutes

Students will build a beehive for mason bees that can be packaged and used in densely populated areas where there aren't as many pollinators. The colony of bees will help grow important flowers and crops in urban gardens.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will learn how hydraulics work in order to build a working hydraulic arm to move an object from one place to another.

Grades 6–8 | 45–60 minutes

Students will "upcycle" a bottle and plastic spoons in order to make a pendant lamp. They will learn about electric currents, principles of light, and how recyclable materials can be used in ways they would never expect.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will and learn about the increasing problem of plastic ocean waste and create a prototype model of an ocean waste collecting device.

Grades 6–8 | 45–60 minutes

Students will learn about the efficient and lightweight shell of an armadillo. They will then apply these advantageous adaptations to their own architectural model using a variety of different materials.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will examine a location in their community using mapping technology, and propose how to improve upon the area’s design with a 3D model.

Grades 6-8 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will take on the role of a packaging designer and be tasked with creating a package design for a box left outside after delivery that needs to remain cold and dry.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will learn about urban heat islands and how they can be mitigated through additional green spaces. Building their own models, they will conduct research to see which aspects are most effective.

Grades 6-8 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will design, build, test, and refine a device that will allow them to fish trash out of local waterways while standing on the shoreline.

Grades 6-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will apply their understanding of how chemical cells work, by creating their own battery using lemons to help convert stored chemical energy into electric energy that can then light an LED bulb.

Grades 6-8 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will design and build a beverage cup insulator with the goal of keeping a hot drink the warmest.

Grades 6-8 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will design and build an innovative bridge or wildlife crossing for a specific species so they can safely navigate across and through human-made structures.

Grades 6-8 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will build a prototype of a lunar outpost that overcomes the obstacles that the moon’s surface provides.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Student groups will build a hydroponic growing system using simple materials.

Grades 9-12 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will learn about the ecological importance of species that pollinate flowers, such as birds and insects. They will work in groups to design a unique habitat that would attract these pollinators based on their specific needs.

Grades 6-8 | 45-60 Minutes

Students will learn about the importance of drinking clean water for a person’s health, and they will become aware of the water crisis that affects millions of people around the world. They will work together to build and test a portable water filter using simple materials.