Final Engineering Projects

Don't you just love it....students at work...sharing ideas and projects..the best learning ever!!

 Loved this final project....makes me want to go to Paris and show my own kids this fantastic structure!!!

 For the final project, the students were given the following criteria:  Design and build a strong, sturdy original structure that serves a particular purpose, and meets these criteria and specifications:

• your structure must be a stationary building that serves a useful purpose
• the structure may serve either a practical or a fanciful function ( for example, it may be the eighth great wonder of the world or an underwater house that can be lived in year round)
• your structure must be freestanding

When you are finished building you must present your structure to the class.  You must:

• name your structure and explain its purpose
• explain how you dealt with areas of tension and compression
• show evidence of a least 3 engineering techniques
• proved reasons for your choice of materials
• tell ow your estimate of "needed materials" compares with the amount of materials actually used.

Whew!  The students had all morning to build their structures, and presented them in the afternoon.

We used materials that I could round up in class, and if students wanted to bring in other materials, they were allowed to do so.  I provided the glue guns, although only a few students wanted to use them (I allowed them to use the glue guns only under supervision and if they were familiar with them; otherwise I wouldn't let kids use them....they can easily burn themselves).

 I provided the following materials:  

• skewers (be careful with these so that the students do not make weapons with them....most of the students were okay with this but sometimes you get that student who is a weapon fanatic and wants to make something dangerous)
• straws, popsicle sticks, cardboard, boxes, foam core, styrofoam
• glue:  white glue and paste
• all types of tape:  masking, electrical, duct tape, scotch tape
• coloured paper of all sorts and textured paper
• tin foil, saran wrap, plastic baggies, coloured tissue paper and clear paper
• playing cards, poster board, modelling clay, pipe-cleaners
• boxes

Below this student created a stadium...

Here we have about three projects put together...a tower with a bridge, a robot car, 

Here's a house with a retractable roof....

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All were original and creative....thank you Engineering students!  You did a great job and you should be proud of your efforts!