In this 3-part workshop, students were introduced to the basics of air quality and the different types of pollutants we measure and regulate. Students then built simple air quality monitors to track the concentration of ozone, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and particulate matter. We deployed these monitors outdoors for …

Modern hobbyist sensors provide for many fascinating projects around physiological sensing. Here we suggest the use of the popular Myoware sensor together with a simple microcontoller and servo motors for the creation of a demo bionic arm.

Firstly, the students are introduced to the inspired-by-nature "tendon driven robots". By using …

This is an “exploratory math” outreach activity, specifically aimed at dispelling the thrall of math phobia. There are two parts to that phobia - thinking that math is impossible to learn and that it is dull. Everybody agrees mathematics is useful, but less commonly appreciated, mathematics is something you can learn …

This activity consists of two parts: an experiment and a design challenge. The experiment is designed to teach concepts of hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity, and how we can learn from hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions in nature to design materials with these distinct properties. The design challenge is a building competition, where …

The activity can be run simply as a soldering workshop, but it can also be used to teach additional topics. One can discuss how the human eye works (rod cells and three types of cone cells), discuss how computer screens work (studying screens under a magnifying lens, RGB color spaces …

The purpose of this demonstration is to expose students to the principles and applications of variable density (as is relevant in many scientific and engineering fields). In this hands-on demonstration, the students will be carefully layering different concentrations of colored sugar solutions to create a colorful demonstration of how solutions …

In the hospital, doctors use endoscopic tools to perform minimally invasive surgeries on patients. These tools are developed by biomedical and mechanical engineers, who consider the difficulties that might arise for the surgeon, such as tight spaces or limited movement. Students will recreate this design process through erector sets or …

In this activity, students will build paper airplanes to learn about flight and what makes objects aerodynamic. They will then test their planes using a launcher: a cardboard ramp and a motor attached to a long piece of string. Building a launcher will emphasize the importance of consistent testing when …

In this activity students design a multicolor LED bracelet that responds to their movement. They learn about color theory, light, and even kinematics and vectors. Depending on how advanced they are, one can discuss trigonometry, even series expansions.

The students have complete freedom over what the response of the bracelet …

In this activity, participants design an attachment for a flower pot, complete with water sensors, irrigation pump, and red LEDs to help the plant grow. For the control of this “Programmable Garden,” participants will program a microcontroller (a simple computer) called an “Arduino” - the “brains” of the garden.

There is …

Oil spills are hazardous to human and marine life. Aerogel is a novel material that can be used for water remediation; it has a strong affinity for oil and can be used to absorb oil from the surface of water. Aerogel is very porous which makes it extremely light, allowing …

In this activity, students will design devices that can unblock clogged arteries. When blood flow in the body is obstructed by plaque in arteries, blood, which carries oxygen and many different nutrients, cannot flow effectively to different parts of the body. Sometimes, it is necessary to clear partially blocked arteries …

In small groups the kids will be designing and assembling a water electrolysis device. In principle, the "device" uses electricity from a battery, to electrochemically separate water into its constituent components (hydrogen and oxygen). Each group of students will be supplied with a plastic, transparent cup, two electrode leads (insulated …

The students will be designing a small robot equipped with light sensors and capable of tracking sources of light shining in front of it. The provided kits have two light sensors, two motors, a few simple electronic elements for control (with explanations how those work), a board on which to …