An Intriguing Cross Between Science, Engineering and Art at GOPA and SOIT

 












Several fascinating STEAM projects were developed in the environmental science and chemistry classes of GOPA and SOIT this fall. Using the new district-wide science curriculum,
these high school science teachers were able to collaborate, design, plan and implement their projects inspired by a variety of creative/scientific ideas found in Resource Folders provided in "Unit Zero." (For example see "Cards to the Sky Gummy Bear Challenge" described at the end of this post, marked with *)

Participating teachers included science teachers Mr. Schulties, Mr. Agyeman, Ms. Gilstrap, and Mr. Thompson (GOPA) and Ms. Sweet and Ms. Jarvis-Hicks (SOIT).  These STEAM projects were intra-curricular because both environmental science and chemistry teachers did the same project. In addition, teachers were encouraged to improvise with the resource materials found in "Unit Zero" and adjust the activities based on their classroom needs. Art PIR Triada Samaras interviewed two of these teachers:

Environmental Science teacher Ms. Gilstrap explained:
"This was the "Zero" unit in our science curriculum. This unit emphasizes getting students interested in science and in scientific problems."

Chemistry teacher Mr. Schulties added:
"In my class, I gave the prompt to my students that they would be constructing a tower for a gummy bear village.  I explained to them that the village has a number of different design requirements that needed to be met. For example, students needed to create structures that would have to stand up to various physical forces such as wind and gravity.  In addition they needed to consider some aspects of engineering such as height and weight." 

"I then provided students with their materials including a deck of cards, a pair of scissors and a roll of scotch tape.  I told them they needed to go and meet the requirements for each structure and to plan a presentation of their structure to the "Planning Board" (meaning, to me)."


Mr. Schulties continued, "The rubric was built around how many requirements were met. Then, using these requirements, the classes collected date to determine a 'winner'. My students realized that even though the rubric requirements were met, there was still no clear winner. Thus they discovered  the idea of qualitative data." 

"Students understood their decision for a 'winner' would need to be determined qualitatively in addition to quantitatively.  This was an important milestone for them.  They learned the importance of collecting and analyzing both types of data in determining a solution to their problem. Thus, students could infer that by looking at the art behind an engineering project they could make quality structures that are very beautiful aesthetically.  So what started out as an science/engineering lesson then his turned into a lesson of science PLUS design and aesthetics.  The case for STEAM was clearly demonstrated in this project." 

*  “Cards to the Sky” Gummy Bear Tower Challenge

(from the Resources provided in 'Unit Zero' by the Paterson School District for Science Teachers)

ROYAL-FLUSH, Inc., an architectural and structural engineering firm, has a contract with the Bear Valley Community to design and build the community's first skyscraper structure. You work for ROYAL-FLUSH, and have been assigned to complete the project.

The following design requirements have been determined for the structure:

DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

1)   A height of 14 inches (this may seem a bit short, but given that the average height of a Bear is ¾inch, this makes for a pretty tall building in Bear terms).

2)   A platform on the top of the structure that will hold 6 Bears, for viewing lovely Bear Valley.

3)   Stability through a hairdryer wind at 14 inches from a westerly direction. Designs that exceed this requirement are acceptable too.

4)   Pleasing to look at.

5)   As small a mass as possible, since the structure will be constructed off site, then trucked into the Valley for final installation.

6)   Construction materials: 1 standard deck of playing cards, 1 roll of tape, a pair of scissors.

7)   The final structure must contain the roll of tape and the pair of scissors.

8)   Completed construction in 45 minutes. This may seem like a short period, but given that the life span on a Bear is only 2 days, there is no time to waste!

9)   A three minute client presentation, where the design features, rationale, and general approach to solving the problem are discussed (chart paper and markers supplied)

Your 3-minute presentation should include:

• Basic design approaches your team considered
• What design requirements your team focused on
• The estimated mass of your structure
• Proof that the structure meets the wind requirement.
• How your team spent its time
• Overall approach taken to solve the problem (Provide a schematic that represents the process.)

Masses

The following information should help in estimating the mass of your skyscraper:

Card Box = 5.13 g

1 Card = 1.63 g

5 Cards = 8.15 g

20 Cards = 32.60 g

Source: Sheppard, S. (2001). The compatibility (or incompatibility) of how we teach engineering design and analysis. International Journal of Engineering Education, 17(4-5), 440-445. Retrieved from http://www.ijee.ie/articles/Vol17-4and5/Ijee1234.pdf