Graduate Teaching Fellows in Middle and High School Education Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Automotive Industry National Science Foundation Grant # DGE

Project Overview Purpose Purpose –Bring cutting-edge technical content of science and engineering topics, using applications from the automotive industry, into the 6-12 classroom –Broaden graduate education for students in STEM disciplines through outreach experiences Process Process –Graduate fellows develop and implement lesson modules focused around the design process –Modules are tested in Tuscaloosa city and county classrooms

Example Modules Battery Design Battery Design Electromagnets Electromagnets Newton’s 2 nd Law with Dynamic Carts Newton’s 2 nd Law with Dynamic Carts Law of Sines as applied to a Crank Shaft Law of Sines as applied to a Crank Shaft Speed of Sound with Car Horn Speed of Sound with Car Horn Geometers Sketchpad and Antiderivatives to relate Position, Velocity, and Acceleration Geometers Sketchpad and Antiderivatives to relate Position, Velocity, and Acceleration Use of Odometers for Summations Use of Odometers for Summations

Battery Design Task Design of a Modified Wet-cell Battery Design of a Modified Wet-cell Battery High School Chemistry Class High School Chemistry Class Discussion of Batteries and Fuel Cells Discussion of Batteries and Fuel Cells –explanation of electrochemistry –relationship to the automotive industry Students rotated through 4 stations, building and testing several different types of wet-cell battery. Students rotated through 4 stations, building and testing several different types of wet-cell battery.

Battery Design Task Design Task: Modify a 1V wet cell to increase the voltage. Design Task: Modify a 1V wet cell to increase the voltage. Process: Process: –Several days brainstorming –Design submission –Materials provided to construct design –Competition to obtain highest voltage

Battery Design Task Results Increased motivation with hands-on learning in a real-world context. Increased motivation with hands-on learning in a real-world context. Students excelled Students excelled –One team designed a 4V cell –Good performance in formal testing of the related concepts.

Newton’s 2 nd Law with Dynamic Carts Demonstration and investigation using PASCO ® dynamics carts and accessories Demonstration and investigation using PASCO ® dynamics carts and accessories

Law of Sines as applied to a Crank Shaft An investigation into the Law of Sines, utilizing Geometer’s Sketchpad ® software, as applied to crankshaft design.

Geometers Sketchpad and Antiderivatives to relate Position, Velocity, and Acceleration

Participants University of Alabama –Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies –College of Engineering –College of Arts and Sciences –College of Education –Center for Communication and Educational Technology (CCET) –In-Service Education Center Tuscaloosa City Schools –Paul W. Bryant High School –Eastwood Middle School Tuscaloosa County Schools –Hillcrest High School –Hillcrest Middle School