LinkEngineering Blog

School is starting up and students of all ages are headed to class. Collaborations between preK-12 and higher education institutions can benefit teachers and students of all ages. There are several ways that undergraduate engineering faculty and students can partner with preK-12 educators to provide engineering experiences for young students. One example is by hosting events that bring K-12 students and teachers to campus to learn about engineering. Senior computer science majors from the engineering college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign modified a 3-D printer to write letters in pudding, frosting, or Nutella on top of cookies. To receive the personalized cookie, the middle and high school students at the Engineering Open House had to answer basic programming questions on an interactive website. The undergraduate students used the experience to hone their programming and communication skills, while the younger students learned about engineering.

Higher education ...

The Rio Olympics are full of examples of what 3D printers can do. We have specially designed sprinter spikes, 3D-printed apparel that improves aerodynamics, and even an LED-driven motion tracking system for swimmers that was 3D print-assisted. With the cost of 3D printers coming down, they could become a wonderful way to teach aspects of the engineering design process in the classroom. Sound intriguing? Read what others are saying:

EdTech reporter Tommy Peterson describes how the technology is being used in schools around the country to foster creativity, build enthusiasm and teach real-world skills. He also raises cautions for administrators and teachers regarding potential intellectual property and safety issues. 

Educational technologist Kathy Schrock provides a number of ideas for using 3D Printing in the classroom.

And if your school doesn’t have a 3D printer, consider taking a field trip to a nearby school that does, as a teacher did in this NSTA Reports article, ...

I want to change the world, plain and simple. At least that is what I used to think. As a young kid growing up, I thought an engineer was a mixture of a mad scientist and a mechanic. How could I not want to be an engineer? It sounded like a dream come true!

This summer, I’m working as the community manager intern at LinkEngineering. In the fall, I return to college as a junior to continue my engineer studies. To be honest, engineering school is really hard. Its long hours and I’m taking a full load of credits. Yet I’m still on my quest to change the world.

Can I really make some sort of impact that is noteworthy one day?  Or am I just another millennial with aspirations that cannot be fulfilled? Do you have to be an engineer to make a difference?  No, of course not! You can make a difference in any field that you are in. So why have I chosen engineering as my path to making a difference?

For me, it comes down to building something that is going to ...

Here’s a new opportunity for LinkEngineering members.

The NAE, in collaboration with the Teacher Advisory Council at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, has launched an effort to bring national attention to the value of engaging teachers more fully in policy decisions that affect them, in this case focused on the implementation of engineering at the K-12 level. The effort is funded by 100kin10, and its main activity is a convocation in Washington, DC on Sept. 30-Oct. 1. At the meeting, STEM teachers, including many who currently do not see themselves playing a role in policy, will be exposed to potential mentors and other supports that will make it possible for them to more confidently share their perspectives beyond the walls of their home school. Entities that support efforts to improve STEM teaching and learning, such as the business community, philanthropic organizations, and STEM professional societies, will be empowered to seek and listen to the ...

Who am I? And more importantly, should you care? Well to answer the first question, my name is Phillip Taylor Coleman, or TC as my friends call me, and I am the community manager intern for LinkEngineering at the National Academy of Engineering.  I go to school at Andrews University in Michigan where I study mechanical engineering.  In the past year I tackled a couple of projects like the Hyperloop Competition for Space-X (which was pretty cool, and also my first major engineering project). For those who do not know, the Hyperloop is the futuristic transportation system that uses pods in a tube system that goes in excess of 700 miles per hour. I am also involved in Engineers without Borders (which I think is way cooler than the Hyperloop), and just in case I am not already overwhelmed by everything already I also work on robotics in my down time.

For the Hyperloop competition, I was the team leader for my university. This was a daunting task to say the least, because I was ...

Behind the LinkEngineering website is an advisory committee of members with deep and broad experience in STEM, preK-12 engineering education, and education policy. Five of the members represent partner organizations: the National Science Teachers Association, Council of State Science Supervisors, International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, Achieve, Inc., and American Society for Engineering Education. The committee met recently in Washington and had a lively discussion about ways to serve you better. Back in 2014 we gathered teachers in Washington, DC, Minneapolis, MN, and Pasadena, CA, and asked what they needed to bring engineering into the classroom. This website was built with the feedback of those teachers.

We’ve come a long way since launching last August, and the site now has over 700 members!  How are we doing? What would you like to see? Login and tell us.

May 4^th, as in May the Fourth (Be With You) has become a fun day for all fans of the Star Wars movies, books, games, and TV shows. Even NASA flight engineer Rick Mastracchio got in on the fun from the International Space Station! Engineering abounds in the Star Wars movies, from the special effects to the characters’ behaviors and knowledge. The information that Luke, Wedge, and the other Rebel pilots learned through the analysis of the engineering plans of the Death Star allowed them to take advantage of a serious engineering flaw and deal the Empire a crushing blow. Watching scenes from Star Wars can be a great starting point for discussions of both science and engineering, including the willful suspension of disbelief needed to hear lasers in the vacuum of space. The movies have inspired many current engineers, why not some future ones?

What’s involved in teaching engineering in the classroom or in an out-of-school setting? Where do you start? LinkEngineering provides basic info about what engineering is and how engineering and science are similar and different. The site has lesson ideas, too, but probably most important is its community of educators, now approaching 700 people.

My favorite example of what LinkEngineering can do is the collaboration between PhD student Sneha Tharayil and former athletic footwear engineer Jennifer Love that developed after Jennifer saw Sneha’s post in Works in Progress, The Ultimate Shoe: Shoe Friction Design Project. Sneha reported earlier this week that their collaboration is coming along nicely and then used the Ask a Question page to ask for suggestions on the best format for an engineering lesson plan/unit.

Another way to use LinkEngineering is through your profile page, where you can post updates and announcements such as this announcement about a STEM fair in the ...