Course title
IT 60Pre-requisite
Algebra II, Geometry, Chemistry, and English ICourse description
Thank you for your acceptance of our Future Engineers course as a physics equivalency. Due to the intense curriculum; we would also like for you to consider a mathematics equivalency as well. During the course; our students must conjoin their work in physics with the concepts of a higher level mathematics class. Students will investigate objectives covering measuring:
Mechanical stress of building materials; density; melting and boiling point; conservation of mass; coulombs law; erosion rate; speed/velocity/acceleration/time; inertia; forces acting on objects; static and dynamic systems; potential and kinetic energy; thrust; mass and weight; gravitational pull; change of momentum; conservation of momentum; power; work; conservation of energy; energy transfer; heat; temperature; strength of chemical bonds; molarity; balancing chemical equations; frequency/wavelength/speed of light; and voltage/current/resistance; as well as many others.
The math that our students perform within each unit is practical; higher order thinking. In fact; the Arizona Department of Education recognizes Engineering Sciences as a part of the Arizona CTE Embedded Academic Credits Project.
http://www.azed.gov/career-technical-education/files/2015/03/academic-st...
Thank you for your consideration. We truly appreciate your time.
The curriculum that we use is entitled “The Infinity Project”. It is an upper level high school engineering curriculum developed by the Southern Methodist University Lyle College of Engineering. Embedded within it are 3 main units. Students in our program are thoroughly engrossed in the building and modeling of various projects and products. The ACTIVITIES list hands on projects/labs or computer simulations to emulate grand projects on a smaller; faster scale for the students. The EXERCISES reinforce those concepts for those labs or give the framework for future studies.
Challenge of the Roving Callisto
Introduction
In 2003; two rovers named Spirit and Opportunity were sent to explore the Martian terrain. Each was designed for a 90-Martian-day mission (the length of a Martian day being about 40 minutes longer than an Earth day). Ninety days has turned into six years as the rovers continue to be operational long after their expected functional end. This lasting durability is a tribute to the engineering skill that went into the design and construction of the rovers. In this module; you will discover many of the engineering principles that led to the success of Spirit and Opportunity. You will be able to apply these principles to design and build your own rover suitable for exploring Callisto; one of Jupiter’s moons.
1. Activity 1.1 Building the Driving Base
OBJ: Build the driving base of the EV3 robot and program it.
2. Exercise 1.2 Binary Spelling
3. Exercise 1.3 Pseudocode
4. Activity 1.4 The Medium Motor
OBJ: Complete the instructions to add the Medium Motor to the Driving Base. Build the cube and
program the LEGO EV3 to retrieve it.
5. Exercise 2.1 Mohr's Circle
6. Activity 2.2 Strain and Poisson's Ratio in a Marshmallow
OBJ: Given a marshmallow; calculate its strain and Poisson’s ratio.
7. Activity 2.3 Strain in a Rubber Band
OBJ: Investigate strain in a rubber band by connecting objects with various masses.
8. Activity 3.1 Choice Of Motors
OBJ: Use a motors specification chart to select motors compatible with various sets of requirements.
9. Exercise 3.2 Analyzing Circuits
10. Exercise 4.1 MER Solar Panels
11. Activity 4.2 Programming a Heliostat
OBJ: Use the Lego EV3 kit to build a mock heliostat.
12. Exercise 5.1 Communicating With a Jupiter Rover
14. Activity 5.3 Signal-To-Noise Ratio
OBJ: Experiment with the Signals Continuous LabVIEW program to understand the effects (both visual and auditory) on signal-to-noise ratio.
15. Exercise 5.4 Distance Between Two Points
16. Activity 6.1 Measure The Classroom
OBJ: Investigate the range of variation when using non-standardized units of measure.
17. Exercise 7.1 Tolerance Stacking
18. Activity 7.2 A Lean Production Rover
OBJ: Design a process flow for assembling a basic rover and then execute this in a lean production mechanism.
19. Activity 7.3 Draw a Rover Chassis and Wheel
OBJ: Use Google SketchUp to separately design a rover chassis and wheel and then merge these together to make a rolling chassis.
20. Activity 7.4 Design and Build The Rover Chassis _Propulsion
OBJ: Complete the building and programming of a workable rover.
Engineering Earth
Introduction
Environmental engineering often evokes images of toxic waste cleanups; sewage treatment plants; flood control measures; and environmental impact assessments; but the discipline also includes such measures as bioremediation of hazardous chemicals and the use of vegetation to control runoff. In the light of all the environmental challenges posed by the interaction between humans and the environment; proficiency in environmental engineering may well prove to be one of the most pivotal skill sets of the 21st century.
1. Activity 1.1 Environmental Engineering Inventory
OBJ: Prepare an inventory of common examples of environmental engineering.
2. Activity 1.2 StarLogo TNG Food Web Simulation
OBJ: Using the food web simulation for StarLogo TNG; investigate the relationships between solar energy; biomass; and the population sizes of primary producers; herbivores; and carnivores.
3. Activity 1.3 What's Your Ecological Footprint
OBJ: Determine the ecological impact of the class in the following categories: food; housing; transportation; goods; services; and waste.
4. Exercise 1.4 Sustainability Inventory
5. Exercise 2.1 The Physics Of Watersheds
6. Activity 2.2 The Physics Of Watersheds – LabVIEW
OBJ: Compare the energy equation with Manning’s open change flow equation as models for
determining water discharge.
7. Activity 2.3 Water Erosion Prediction Project
OBJ: Use a computer-based simulation to determine the effects of runoff on a slope.
8. Activity 2.4 Water Footprint Analysis
OBJ: Use a computer-based calculator to determine a water footprint.
9. Activity 2.5 Environmental Pollutant Analysis
OBJ: Building on the StarLogo TNG food web simulation; you will investigate the activity of an environmental pollutant
10. Activity 2.6 RiverWeb Watershed Analysis
OBJ: Use a computer-based simulation to experiment with watershed improvements.
11. Exercise 3.1 Engineering Your Own Sustainability - Site Assessment
12. Exercise 3.2 Engineering Your Own Sustainability - Site Design
The Human Machine
Introduction
What do DNA; light; electricity; and computers have in common? They are among the many building blocks of products; devices; and technologies used to improve health care and related issues. Many of the health care problems that exist today require analysis and design; which are central components of an engineering education. In this module; you will discover how complex medically related design problems are solved using state-of-the-art science and technology.
1 Activity 1.1 Biomedical Product Design and Evaluation
OBJ: Using the biomedical products presented in the Introduction of the student manual; identify the need; develop a set of performance specifications; and describe each phase of the design process; including what type of technology would be necessary for the testing phase.
2 Activity 1.2 Hearing Test Build-It
OBJ: The objective of this lab is for the user to gain experience in designing labs and to create a lab that can be used for practical applications such as a hearing test.
3 Activity 2.1 Decoding Your Brain
OBJ: Investigate the codes used by the brain to control leg movement.
4 Exercise 2.2 Control of Physiological Systems
5 Exercise 3.1 The Physics of Biomechanical Levers
6 Exercise 3.2 Performance Optimization of Running
7 Exercise 4.1 Stress-Strain Behavior Of Ligaments
8 Activity 4.2 Mechanical Testing of Tissue Substitutes
OBJ: Design a simple optics-based mechanical testing system and compare the strengths of various materials
9 Activity 4.3 Design of a Long Bone Implant
OBJ: Design a long bone implant that exhibits strength under deflection.
10 Activity 5.1 X-Ray Image Processing
OBJ: Determine how changes in the contrast; resolution; and filtering influence the image size and quality of an X-ray image.
11 Activity 6.1 Design of a Protein Biosensor
OBJ: Construct and test an opto-electrical system for detection of protein in a sample.
12 Activity 7.1 Design of an Augmentative Communication Device
OBJ: Use LabVIEW to optimize the design of an augmentative communication system that would be sensitive to input from a person with tremor.
13 Activity 8.1 Advances in Biotechnology
OBJ: Match descriptions of advances in biotechnology with the name of the product; device; or process. From this; generate a definition of the term biotechnology.
14 Activity 9.1 Modeling Drug Delivery
OBJ: Observe the influence of three variables on the rate of drug release from a hydrogel drug delivery system.
Example ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY 4.2: MECHANICAL TESTING OF TISSUE SUBSTITUTES
Objective
Design a simple optics-based mechanical testing system and compare the strengths of various materials.
Materials
Digital multimeter
Samples of different types of woods and plastics of roughly the same dimensions
CdS photoresistor
Electrical tape
Blocks or books of roughly equal height
Laser pointer
Ruler
Force gauge
Bucket
String
Objects to serve as weights
Procedure and Notes
1) Work in small groups. To prepare the testing setup; assemble testing supports (books or blocks) on a flat surface and place the material to be tested across the supports horizontally.
2) Fasten the photoresistor to the center of the material. Secure the laser pointer to a position a few feet away. Make sure the laser beam hits the photoresistor.
3) Cover the bottom half of the photoresistor with electrical tape to create a sharp edge where it will be easy to detect small changes in the position of the material. Then connect the photoresistor to a voltmeter so that voltage changes can be recorded.
4) Calibrate the setup by moving the laser beam across the photoresistor at known increments. Increments can be measured using the ruler lined up vertically on the photoresistor as shown in the diagram. For each beam position; record the corresponding voltage.
Calibration Data
Position of beam on photoresistor (mm)
Voltage reading (V)
Instructor
You can have students use their calibration data in whatever way best matches their math skills. For example; a less advanced group could directly compare their data from step 5 with the calibration data to roughly determine a range of deflection y-values for each voltage reading in their experimental data. A more advanced group could generate a graph of the calibration data; determine the slope of a best line through the points; and use the slope to determine a specific y-value for each voltage reading in their experimental data.
5) With the bucket and force gauge attached to the sample and the laser focused on the center of the photoresistor; record the voltage. Add weight to the bucket and keep track of the change in voltage as weight is added. Continue adding weight until the sample breaks. Calculate the maximum deflection in mm that the sample can withstand.
Experimental Data
Load force
Voltage reading (V)
Y-deflection (mm)
Results and Analysis
1) Is there a relationship between the load force and the voltage readings? How does this relate to the deflection of the sample?
Sample Answer: Yes. As the load is increased; the voltage increases also. The load force causes the position of the photoresistor to move down as force is added; while the position of the laser beam is unchanged. Therefore; the distance that the sample moves down can be correlated to a voltage change.
2) What performance would you expect for a sample of a long bone? What performance would you expect for a sample of skin?
Sample Answer: Long bone would withstand a large amount of force; and the change in deflection as force is added would be very small. On the other hand; I would expect a skin sample to experience large changes in deflection as force is added.
© 2011 - 2014 | The Infinity Project | All Rights Reserved
In addition to the Infinity Project coursework; the students complete supplemental; relevant projects as well. These projects include the following:
Constructing a to-scale bridge; taking into account forces; load; and structure
Creating a working prosthetic limb (leg from the knee down) which students must use to travel through an obstacle course
Building a roller coaster project wherein a marble must navigate a course constructed from pvc pipe; foam insulation. The marble must have a self lift/ self launch mechanism as well as encountering hills; loops; and jumps. Students will calculate kinetic and potential energy; positive and negative acceleration; as well as analysis of Newton’s 3 laws of motion.
Making a working; self initiated lift machine; made out of various household/easy to find materials to attempt to lift objects of various masses to various heights.
School country
United StatesSchool state
ArizonaSchool city
MesaSchool / district Address
6625 S. Power RoadSchool zip code
85212Requested competency code
Lab ScienceDate submitted
Approved
YesApproved competency code
- LPHY
- Physics