Prior to the end of the semester OE2 and I coordinated UPSM coming up to U of M to tour the Design Expo. Diane, Angela and I created a powerpoint presentation and jewelry activity for the students along with a tour of the expo. Our main focus of the day was disseminating good engineering design versus bad engineering design. We showed a few clips which included the infamous tacoma bridge failure and a successful senior design project. We had an interactive discussion with the students. We discussed their thoughts on why the bridge failed and how it could have been designed better.
After our short presentation we took the students around the expo. The students and I were extremely impressed by the engineering student's prototypes. After the viewing we had a short discussion about the designs. We discussed the importance of time, money, and human resources to create a great product. We then split the kids into random teams to solve an engineering design problem. The students had to create a jewelry clasp that worked utilizing the materials we gave them. We then judged each design team's solution based on our criteria, which included creativity, safety, and innovation. The teams then had about 45 minutes to create their designs. The students designs were so wonderful. Most teams went above and beyond the assignment by creating accessories such as earrings and rings for their necklaces/bracelets.
We didn't have enough time left for the students to reflect on their jewelry design team experience but I am sure they learned alot and had fun. We then gave the students a survey to learn more about their experience at the design expo. What a great day!
