Solving Problems Through Engineering

Kaposia 4th graders had a unique experience with engineering. The Science Museum of Minnesota brought the wonders of science to Kaposia with interactive, fun experiments. The students learned how engineers think as they approach problems affecting people in the world today. They learned about the design process of Learn-Design-Create-Test to improve solutions and discussed all of the things in our lives that were created by engineering.

The interactive exhibits included:

• Hand protection: How engineers have designed different types of gloves to help protect our hands in many different scenarios.
• High-speed trains: How engineers worked to design the high-speed bullet trains in Japan. They learned about the issues engineers faced with aerodynamics and sound and discovered ways the engineers were able to overcome the challenges.
• Everything around us is Engineering: How engineering has shaped the world we live in. The students learned how engineering has played a part in just about everything we use in our everyday lives from food to furniture, to games and light.

The in-school experience was made possible by the Science Museum of Minnesota and Flint Hills Resources. The partnership between FHR and SMM was created to provide free STEM programs and experiences to schools in our area.