Landfills: Engineering Design for Waste Control

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association. 1914 Association Drive Suite 201, Reston, VA 20191-1539. Tel: 703-860-2100; Fax: 703-860-0353; e-mail: itea@iteaconnect.org; Web site: http://www.iteaconnect.org

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5

Environmental Education; STEM Education; Engineering Education; Design; Wastes; Sanitation; Summer Science Programs; College Students; Learning Activities; Science Activities; Hands on Science; Student Evaluation; Scoring Rubrics; Academic Standards; Technological Literacy; Scientific Literacy; Common Core State Standards; Alignment (Education)

2158-0502

It is becoming increasingly important to consider the waste humans produce and options for reducing the impact it has on the environment. Allowing students the opportunities to research potential solutions and present their ideas results in an educated citizenry that considers consequences of technological advances. Throughout the course of a two-week summer camp, teachers guided students as they considered alternative sources of energy. The integrative STEM Education activity described herein was used as part of a lesson in a professional development experience conducted at Virginia Tech by the Virginia Institute for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA). The challenge presented to students was to design and build a product that can be used in everyday life from items typically found in a landfill. The product must: (1) be useful (not an artistic sculpture, decoration, etc.); (2) consist of at least four different items from the landfill used in a way not originally intended; (3) consist of at least two bonding materials (e.g., tape, string, nail, twist ties); and (4) have at least one moving part integral to the function of the product. The rubric used to asses the students' performance and to serve as a self-assessment for each group's progress in designing a solution is provided.

ERIC

10

2016

EJ1096209