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June 2020

Rays of Inspiration

My Shadow Library of Congress

Since ancient times, humans have celebrated the summer solstice with feasts, bonfires, and other rites. Engineers who develop solar-energy systems have additional reasons to cheer the extra hours of daylight - when the arctic clocks 30% more than shines at the equator. Your designers will revel in this month's activity marking the start of summer. See who casts the brightest ideas!

Activity: Daylighting Design

Hart Building atrium US Senate
High school students explore the many ways that engineers provide natural lighting to interior spaces by analyzing various methods of daylighting and then constructing model houses from foam core board based on their observations and calculations of the optimal use of available "sunlight."    

RELATED LESSONS  
Capturing the Sun's Warmth  (Grades 3-5)                         
Build a Solar Still (Grades 3-8)
Build a Sundial (Grades 6-8) 
Solar Cooking (Grades 6-8)
Solar Geometry  (Grades 7-9)  eGFI exclusive!
Solar Water Heater (Grades 9-12)
Zero-Energy Home Design (Grades 9-12)
     
Extra Credit: M ake a paper sundial and tape it down on a windowsill. Draw a pencil mark where the shadow reaches on the solstice, and each month make a new mark at the same time of day to see how the shadow changes!

MORE LESSONS:
Grades K-5   |   Grades 6-8   |   Grades 9-12
 
 

Breakthrough technology from an engineering research center could help prevent blackouts while allowing the grid to run on solar and other clean energy sources.
  
Learn More.     


RELATED FEATURES:    

Water Bottles to Illuminate a Million Homes Student Invents Solar Tree
        

To support parents everywhere and provide access to hands-on STEM activities, the American Society for Engineering Education's P-12 Commission is offering online summer camps for students in grades K-8. Check out these and other virtual summer STEM programs for students in preschool to high school!


Whether you're interested in learning engaging teaching techniques and activities or joining live Q&A panel discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, the American Society for Engineering Education's first-ever online annual conference has you covered! 

Teachers can attend all five days for the special rate of $175.


To help teachers and families while schools remain closed during the pandemic, ASEE's P-12 Committee and other engineering educators are posting daily design challenges, hosting online teacher meet-ups, and coming up with creative ways to engage students remotely.


Extra Credit: Does handwashing work? Join "How to Fight Microscopic Beasts," a citizen science project, and contribute your research results. Includes a free microbiology and disease course for students 8 years old and up..


Announcements

Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship. -- The National Science Foundation program seeks to expand the number of innovative K-12 STEM educators. Apply by Aug. 25. Learn more.

NASA's STEM Teaching Tips. -- Four ideas for keeping it real at home from the STEM Engagement & Educator Professional Development Network at Texas State University.  Learn more. 

#MOSatHome. -- Boston's Museum of Science has developed daily live streams and virtual exhibits to enable STEM learning at home. Learn more. 

National Geographic Education @ Home.-- Schools are closed but learning need not stop with these curated activities and resources for teachers and students. Learn more.

Franklin Institute @ Home. -- Activities, exhibits, and other STEM learning resources from Philadelphia's premier science center. Learn more.

ST Math. -- MIND Research Institute is offering free access to its popular K-8 math curriculum. Learn more.
 
Publish Your K-2 Curriculum. -- TeachEngineering's digital library seeks to add more NGSS-aligned K-2 activities.Thorough proposals will receive $25 Amazon gift cards; those accepted for publication get $500. Learn more.

New!  Teacher Engineering Education Program. -- Tufts University's 16-credit online graduate course   engages STEM educators in hands-on projects and pedagogical exercises designed to help them inspire the next generation of innovators .   Learn more.

Knowles Academy Summer Courses. --  Top quality teacher training on designing instruction to engage STEM students via engineering, teamwork, and other techniques. Funding available on first-come, first-served basis, reducing costs to $100.   Learn more.

STEM Careers. -- Show students what engineers do with Discovering You: Engineering Your World, a new video series from NBCLearn, Chevron, and ASEE.  Learn more.
 
Get the Math! -- WNET Channel 13 helps middle and high school students develop algebraic thinking skills through reality-TV-style videos and challenges.  Learn more.

Next Gen STEM. -- TeachEngineering offers a free, searchable library of hundreds of activities aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.  Learn more.
 
LinkEngineering. -- The National Science Foundation-sponsored online community of practice offers tips, mentors, and other teaching and learning resources.  Learn more.
 
Explore Our Site: Helpful Links for Teachers

Cynthia Breazeal Wants You to Make Friends with RobotsJetman: Flying Soon to a Landmark Near YouUnderwater Scooters are the New SCUBAEbone Pierce - Mechanical Engineering StudentTurning Air into WaterVertical Forest Coming Soon to Milan
bullet Prepare your students for engineering school with these 10 Essential Steps.
bullet Change your students' perceptions of engineering students.
bullet Introduce your students to young engineers who are already making a difference in the world.
bullet Stay up-to-date with cool engineering innovations.
bullet Find out about the engineering design process.
bullet Learn about the different types of engineering.
bullet Read excerpts of our latest magazine or full issues of earlier editions online.
bullet Check out all the items in our
bullet Explore lesson plans and class activities.
bullet View our archive of past newsletters.

   


ASEE egfi magazine 6th edition
Filled with engaging features, gorgeous graphics, and useful information about engineering colleges and careers, the latest edition of ASEE's award-winning Engineering, Go For It magazine is sure to get middle and high school students excited about learning - and doing - engineering! 


Perfect for K-12 outreach events and college fairs!
    
Price: $6.95      Discounts available.    Order your copies today!   


About the eGFI Teachers' Newsletter
 
Delivered each month to your email inbox, our newsletter is packed with lesson plans and activities , resources , feature stories , and the latest developments in K-12 engineering education . eGFI is part of the American Society for Engineering Education ( ASEE ), a non-profit organization committed to enhancing efforts to improve STEM and engineering education.   

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