This subject exposes students to a variety of visualization techniques so that they learn to understand the work involved in producing them and to critically assess the power and limits of each. Students concentrate on areas where visualizations are crucial for meaning making and data production. Drawing on scholarship in science and technology studies on visualization, critical art theory, and core discussions in science and engineering, students work through a series of case studies in order to become better readers and producers of visualizations.

In this 5-lesson multi-media unit, students will explore various real-world applications of different forms of measurement, including time and distance. They will make estimations and calculations. Throughout the unit, students will be using online resources to familiarize themselves with coral reefs, the nation of Belize, and to plan a pretend scuba diving trip. Activity sheets (pdf), links to online resources, assessment options and other commentary are provided.

Cryptids, creatures of questionable existence, are used as a source of data to guide students into the creation of their own GIS data layer in Google Earth. The activity serves the purpose of a tutorial to teach students how to make data layers with a simple subject. Then they use that skill on other topics such as plastics in their neighborhood.

In this activity, students use Google Earth to investigate a variety of renewable energy sources and select sites within the United States that would be appropriate for projects based on those sources.

6.780 covers statistical modeling and the control of semiconductor fabrication processes and plants. Topics include design of experiments, response surface modeling, and process optimization; defect and parametric yield modeling; process/device/circuit yield optimization; monitoring, diagnosis, and feedback control of equipment and processes; analysis and scheduling of semiconductor manufacturing operations.

Dope the semiconductor to create a diode. Watch the electrons change position and energy.

Like many other industries, shoe manufacturing changed in the early 19th century. Previously, most shoemakers worked in their homes or small workshops (called ten-footers")

Who invented the computer? Like many important technological developments, the invention of the computer cannot rightly be attributed to a single person. It is clear, however, that World War II was crucial to the emergence of the electronic digital computer. The first general-purpose electronic computer was the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, the ENIAC, sponsored by the U.S. Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and developed at the the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. The leaders of the project were physicist John W. Mauchly and a young electrical engineer, John Presper Eckert. In this interview, done in 1988 by David Allison and Peter Vogt for the Smithsonian Institution, Eckert described how the war provided "the opportunity"and the money to solve "engineering problems, scientific problems in general"that interested them.

Why do the lights turn on in a room as soon as you flip a switch? Flip the switch and electrons slowly creep along a wire. The light turns on when the signal reaches it.

Students apply the mechanical advantages and problem-solving capabilities of six types of simple machines (wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, pulley) as they discuss modern structures in the spirit of the engineers and builders of the great pyramids. While learning the steps of the engineering design process, students practice teamwork, creativity and problem solving.

This interactive simulation models the motion of a simple pendulum. Users can explore how pendulum motion is affected by changing length of the string, initial angle, and mass of the bob. Adjust the acceleration due to gravity to simulate pendulum motion on another planet. Energy bar graphs can be displayed in stepped motion alongside the swinging pendulum to get a clear picture of kinetic/potential energy conversion. Click on "Forces" to see free body diagrams. Advanced learners can view graphs of angular position, angular velocity, and angular acceleration as well. The model is simple enough for middle school students to manipulate, yet also provides an array of robust tools that render it appropriate for introductory physics courses. See Related Materials for a multi-day module on simple harmonic motion (Science NetLinks) and for instructions on installing and running the cost-free EJS Modeling and Authoring Tool. This applet was created with EJS, Easy Java Simulations, a modeling tool that allows users without formal programming experience to generate computer models and simulations.

Is it a tumor? Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can tell. Your head is full of tiny radio transmitters (the nuclear spins of the hydrogen nuclei of your water molecules). In an MRI unit, these little radios can be made to broadcast their positions, giving a detailed picture of the inside of your head.

In this classroom/lab activity students investigate how complex machines are made up of simple machines by dissecting four common household appliances.

Discusses social, ethical and clinical issues associated with the development of new biotechnologies and their integration into clinical practice. Basic scientists, clinicians, bioethicists, and social scientists present on four general topics: changing political economy of biotech research; problems associated with the adaption of new biotechnologies and findings from molecular biology for clinical settings; the ethical issues that emerge from clinical research and clinical use of new technologies; and the broader social ethics associated with investigations of population genetics and social problems. Use of cases and recent literature.

TECH CAREERS ARE RARELY LINEAR! Hear from the voices of Adam Cobb, (Kohl's), Dana Hart (Northwestern Mutual), Kedasha Kerr, (Northwestern Mutual) and moderator Efrem Powell (Northwestern Mutual). The following videos will give you a look into the variety of tech jobs and careers available to you and how you can prepare for them. Watch one - or all - and hear from experts who are doing these jobs today. As you watch the videos, download our workbook at https://bit.ly/MKEWorksheet to help you reflect on each career path and if that might be the right one for you some day!

This introductory video summarizes the process of generating solar electricity from photovoltaic and concentrating (thermal) solar power technologies.

In this 'Energy Education for the 21st Century' design challenge, students construct and evaluate a solar-powered model car. Students utilize the design process and undergo review by their peers to select an optimal gear ratio and components for their car. As a culminating activity, students compete in a Solar Sprint race modeled after the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Junior Solar Sprint competition.

Student teams design and build solar water heating devices that mimic those used in residences to capture energy in the form of solar radiation and convert it to thermal energy. In this activity, students gain a better understanding of the three different types of heat transfer, each of which plays a role in the solar water heater design. Once the model devices are constructed, students perform efficiency calculations and compare designs.

This is a reading associated with activities during Solar Week, a twice-yearly event in March and October during which classrooms are able to interact with scientists studying the Sun. Outside of Solar Week, information, activities, and resources are archived and available online at any time. Learners will read about how scientists observe the Sun using imagery and telescopes. Links to other online resources are included. This activity is scheduled to occur during Tuesday of Solar Week.