Zipping Towards STEM: Integrating Engineering Design into the Middle School Physical Science Curriculum

该项目将通过学生和教师的创新技术体验计划，推动更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学，技术，工程或数学领域追求职业生涯的动机和能力的做法。它将把工程设计原则整合到阿克伦公立学区的课程单元中，为12所学校和98间教室的1800名代表性不足的八年级学生提供力量和运动。 学生将被引入到刚体动力学的基本应用物理概念，他们将使用计算机辅助设计软件，3D打印机和虚拟和桌面风洞设计，测试和重新设计模型股票微型汽车。为了让学生为这一挑战做好准备，大学主导的暑期学院将为所有八年级的科学教师提供实施基于工程实践的综合课程所需的知识，技术内容和技术经验。这一步提供了保证，教师可以将学生从基本的挑战水平，学生将寻求更深入地了解工程设计原则。来自阿克伦大学和其他当地合作伙伴的研究生和高级航空航天系统工程学生和教职员工将帮助指导教师和学生使用模型微型车完成六项基本任务。当学生参与设计和重新设计过程时，他们将操纵重量放置以最大限度地提高速度，并使用基于计算机的虚拟风洞来评估汽车在阻力系数方面的性能。用户友好的图形界面软件将帮助学生计算流体动力学，并为学生提供通过雾诱导流线的阻力和流体流动的设计性能指标。用于进一步测试的模型将使用3D打印机生产。收集的数据将决定教师和学生如何完成工程设计任务。如果结果显示教师和学生掌握了工程设计的基本概念，学区领导人同意继续在整个系统中使用这个模型，为八年级的教室带来真实的经验，使用工程设计来教授力量和运动。

This project will advance efforts to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics through the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers program. It will integrate engineering design principles into Akron Public School district's curriculum unit on force and motion for 1800 underrepresented eighth grade students across 12 schools and 98 classrooms. Students will be introduced to basic applied physics concepts in rigid-body dynamics where they will design, test, and redesign model stock mini-cars using computer assisted design software, 3D printers, and virtual and desk-top wind tunnels. To prepare students for this challenge, university-led summer institutes will provide all eighth grade science teachers with the knowledge, technical content, and technology experience needed to implement the integrated curriculum based on engineering practices. This step provides assurance that teachers can move students from the fundamental to the challenge level where students will seek a deeper understanding of engineering design principles. Graduate and senior-level aerospace systems engineering students and faculty members from the University of Akron and other local partners will help guide teachers and students through six basic tasks using model mini-cars. As students engage in the design and redesign process they will manipulate weight placement to maximize speed and use computer-based virtual wind tunnels to assess car performance in terms of drag coefficient. User-friendly graphical interface software will help students account for computational fluid dynamics and provide students with design performance metrics on drag and fluid flows through fog induced streamlines. Models for further testing will be produced using 3-D printers. Data collected will determine how well teachers and students move through the engineering design tasks. If the results show that teachers and students grasped the basic concepts that undergird engineering design, school district leaders have agreed to continue to use this model system wide to bring real-world experiences to eighth grade classrooms using engineering design to teach force and motion.