Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Activity 1: Build It Strong!, Patrick Young

Theme 1: Structure and Process

Materials like concrete and steel are important components of highway construction, but so are management tools such as planning and scheduling. This theme, Structure and Process, attempts to integrate these components using the construction of a highway overpass as an example. Activities should be done in the order presented. The concrete made in Activity 1 will need two days to cure before being tested in Activity 4.

Activity 2: The Pb&J Project, Patrick Young

Theme 1: Structure and Process

Complex projects, such as bridge construction, require thoughtful planning. Project Management is the discipline of planning and controlling the work of a team to reach a specific goal. Successful Project Management requires a careful consideration of deadlines, budgets, and available resources.

The Gantt chart is a project management tool that shows tasks in terms of their time-to-complete, interdependency, and available resources. Developed by American engineer Henry Gantt, these charts were first employed in shipbuilding, the construction of the Hoover Dam, and the Interstate Highway System.

Today they are used for all manner of project management tasks. Computers have made the …

Actividad 3: ¡Construye Rápido!, Patrick Young

Tema 1: Estructura y proceso

Uno de los costos de cualquier proyecto de carretera es el impacto económico de desviar el tráfico durante la construcción. Los métodos que minimizan las interrupciones reducen costos y suelen mejorar la seguridad. Los métodos de construcción acelerada de puentes (ABC, por sus siglas en inglés) incluyen la prefabricación de la mayor parte posible del puente fuera del lugar de la obra. Las piezas grandes se llevan al lugar y se instalan según un plan que minimiza el tiempo necesario para desviar el tráfico.

Actividad 2: Proyecto Pb&J, Patrick Young

Tema 1: Estructura y proceso

Los proyectos complejos, como la construcción de un puente, requieren una planificación minuciosa. La gestión de proyectos es la disciplina que consiste en planificar y controlar el trabajo de un equipo para alcanzar un objetivo específico. El éxito de la gestión de proyectos requiere una cuidadosa consideración de los plazos, los presupuestos y los recursos disponibles.

El diagrama de Gantt es una herramienta de gestión de proyectos que muestra las tareas en términos de su tiempo de ejecución, interdependencia y recursos disponibles. Desarrollado por el ingeniero estadounidense Henry Gantt, este diagrama se empleó por primera vez en la construcción naval, …

Actividad 1: ¡Construye Fuerte!, Patrick Young

Tema 1: Estructura y proceso

El hormigón es el material de construcción más común para estructuras grandes. El hormigón se compone de tres materiales:

• Áridos: Arena y grava.
• Cemento: Un pegamento químico que mantiene los agregados unidos con gran fuerza.
• Agua: El agua no solo ayuda a mezclar y verter el hormigón, sino que se une al cemento en una reacción química y se incorpora al hormigón terminado.

Las cubiertas de los puentes deben soportar el peso de todos los automóviles y camiones que transitan por ellos. Las diferentes partes de las cubiertas de los puentes experimentan distintos tipos de fuerzas. La compresión es una …

Actividad 4: Prueba De Las Cubiertas De Hormigón Fabricadas Por Los Estudiantes, Patrick Young

Tema 1: Estructura y proceso

Cuando una viga estructural se carga desde arriba, la fuerza crea compresión en la superficie superior y tensión en la superficie inferior. El hormigón puede soportar la compresión diez veces más que la tensión. Como el hormigón tiene menos capacidad para soportar la tensión, el refuerzo de acero es más importante en la parte inferior.

En esta actividad, los estudiantes realizarán una prueba de carga en 3 puntos para ver cuánto peso pueden soportar sus losas.

Actividad 1: Lo De Adela, Patrick Young

Tema 2: Por la ciudad

Si pregunta a algunos de los residentes más antiguos de su barrio cómo era la ciudad hace 30 o 40 años, le dirán que había muchos espacios o campos vacíos Si les pregunta si están contentos con las numerosas viviendas, comercios, carreteras e industrias que existen ahora, es posible que digan que han perdido parte de su comunidad, pero que, al mismo tiempo, han ganado en infraestructuras, carreteras, industrias, puestos de trabajo, valor de la propiedad y expansión de la comunidad.

Implantar más carreteras en una ciudad no es una decisión fácil. Para que el proyecto se lleve a cabo, …

Actividad 4: Reduzca La Velocidad, Se Aproximan Curvas, Patrick Young

Tema 2: Por la ciudad

Diseñar una carretera conlleva tomar muchas decisiones. En un mundo ideal, todas las carreteras tendrían una superficie plana y recta. Lamentablemente, no es así porque las carreteras tienen muchos desvíos, intersecciones, numerosos automóviles transitando y semáforos. Los ingenieros eligen la velocidad máxima de la carretera en función de las características de equilibrio del terreno, el tráfico, los obstáculos existentes y, lo que es más importante, la seguridad.

El objetivo principal de una carretera es asegurarse de que los vehículos puedan maniobrar a una velocidad determinada de forma segura. Por ejemplo, no verá un límite de velocidad de 60 millas por …

Actividad 2: Ruta Óptima, Patrick Young

Tema 2: Por la ciudad

Los sistemas de navegación de los vehículos utilizan información de la ubicación para ayudar a los conductores a decidir qué ruta tomar. Muchos de los sistemas de navegación alertan a los conductores de peligros en la carretera. Los cierres de carreteras, los accidentes, el clima y otros peligros afectan tanto los tiempos de viaje como las rutas elegidas. La colaboración y el intercambio de información entre la autopista o carretera, los servicios públicos y los sistemas de navegación son necesarios para informar a los conductores.

Actividad 3: Curva Pronunciada, Patrick Young

Tema 2: Por la ciudad

La forma de una curva afecta la facilidad con la que un automóvil puede circular con seguridad por ella. Las colisiones son más probables cuando la curva es demasiado cerrada. La curva debe ser suave, la transición entre los tramos rectos y curvos de la carretera también deben ser suaves.

En la imagen anterior, el automóvil experimenta una fuerza (llamada “fuerza centrípeta”) que lo empuja hacia el centro del círculo. Se trata de una fuerza de fricción proporcionada por la carretera que actúa sobre los neumáticos. Cuanto más cerrada es la curva, más fricción se necesita para mantenerse en la …

Activity 1: A Day In The Life, Patrick Young

Theme 5: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

All highways run through animal habitats. Fencing highways can provide drivers some protection from animal-related accidents, but they fragment the habitat, causing problems for wildlife. In this activity, students learn some of the reasons that animals will attempt to cross highways.

Activity 3: Rooting For You, Karen Ye

Theme 4: Please Pass the Salt

Snow and ice removal are needed in winter for safe roads. Salt is very effective along with other chemicals, but these may cause harm to plants, wildlife, and humans. Salt seeps into groundwater and may create problems with water resources. High levels of salt affects the amount of oxygen in water, organism growth, reproduction, and food sources. Whether the chemicals cause harm to an organism depends on the amount of chemicals and how long the organism is exposed to them. Salt can also reduce soil minerals and absorb water that plants need. Other impacts on plants include leaf damage, stunted …

Activity 2: Just Passing Through, Elizabeth Martinez

Theme 5: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Animal passages for wildlife are becoming more prevalent. Their purpose is to provide a safe path for animals to cross man-made barriers, in this case roadways. Fish ladders, patented in 1837, are an early example of this type of intervention. In addition, passages provide animal access to resources on the other side of the barrier. Crossings help to connect habitats to avoid habitat fragmentation, which can restrict the gene pool resulting in lower and more at-risk populations, as well as potential extinction. Vehicle and wildlife collisions account for many injuries and deaths for humans and other animals, property damage, and …

Activity 3: Warning!, Elizabeth Martinez

Theme 5: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

More factors than previously mentioned must be considered in the design of an animal crossing structure, such as temperature, precipitation, vehicle traffic, noise, and vehicle exhaust. Consideration of these environmental factors and events will require modifications to the original design. This is a common practice in engineering. The original design might go through several revisions as modeling, testing, and experience reveal the need for modifications.

Activity 2: A Little Bit Salty, Karen Ye

Theme 4: Please Pass the Salt

Density is defined as the amount of mass that takes up a certain amount of volume. Adding salt or sugar to water increases its density since there are more particles (mass) packed into a similar amount of space (volume). Cooling water can also increase its density since the particles move more slowly at lower temperatures and will be more packed together. When two substances with different densities are combined, the one with a lower density will float whereas the one with a higher density will sink. The greater the difference in density, the more distinct the layers and the harder …

Activity 1: Cooler Than Me, Karen Ye

Theme 4: Please Pass the Salt

All matter is made up of atoms and molecules. Even though we can’t see them with our bare eyes, these tiny particles are constantly moving. The temperature of a substance is a measure of its average kinetic energy (the energy it has due to the motion of the particles). As the temperature increases, particles gain more energy, move more quickly and spread further apart.

No matter where one lives in Illinois, you are impacted by winter weather. Deicing and snow removal account for a large portion of state and local highway budgets. Salt is commonly used for melting snow and …

Activity 4: Green Winterization, Karen Ye

Theme 4: Please Pass the Salt

Materials other than salt are also used to mitigate the dangers of ice and increase traction. Additional materials used include sand, calcium chloride, and a mixture of salt brine and beet juice. The use of each method involves trade-offs.

Activity 4: High Visibility Signs, Patrick Young

Theme 2: Around Town

Highway signage has evolved over time in response to driving habits and advances in automotive technology and materials science. Although most informational signs have a nondescript appearance, the microscopic structure of their surfaces is complex. Many competing designs attempt to provide advantages when illuminated by headlights.

It is often true that designing a test to evaluate different items is as important and challenging as designing the items themselves. In this activity, students will design both highway signs and a reliable procedure for testing them.

Activity 1: Adela Valley Highway, Patrick Young, David Hernandez

Theme 2: Around Town

If you ask a longtime resident of your neighborhood what the town was like 30 or 40 years ago, they will tell you that there were a lot of empty spaces or fields. Ask them if they are happy with the numerous homes, businesses, roads, and industries that now exist. They may say that they lost part of their community. At the same time, they gained jobs, property value, and infrastructure improvements.

Whether to build more roads through a town is not an easy decision. There has to be a clear implementation plan, local or state funding, city code agreement, …

Activity 3: Navigation, Patrick Young, David Hernandez

Theme 2: Around Town

Highways of the future will be more than ribbons of concrete and asphalt. They will have an information infrastructure that includes sensors, computers, and wireless connection with the computers in every moving vehicle. In the same way that people are connected by the internet, vehicles will be connected with each other through the highway’s network. This will enable drivers using navigation software to get real-time updates and suggestions. It will also increase the safety and efficiency of driverless vehicles.

In this activity, students will use mathematics to examine the types of calculations that navigational computers use to redirect drivers to …

Activity 5: Slow Down, Curves Ahead, David Hernandez, Peg Steffen

Theme 2: Around Town

Highway curves are banked so the outside edge of the roadway is elevated above the inside edge. This provides additional centripetal force to keep the car on the road and following the proper path. The faster a car is moving, the more banking it will need.

Activity 2: Cost Analysis, Patrick Young, David Hernandez

Theme 2: Around Town

The unit cost of highway construction varies tremendously, but state departments of transportation often publish estimates. For this activity, we assume that a four-lane divided highway will cost $5 million per mile across flat farmland.

Activity 1: Traffic Jam, Patrick Young, Peg Steffen

Theme 3: Traffic Management

Computer models can be excellent tools for analyzing complex systems. In this activity, students will use a web-based computer model to explore the relationship between the volume of traffic and the time it takes for vehicles to get from point A to point B. Then they will use the model to assess two potential solutions to their particular example of traffic congestion. Students will be comparing small samples with larger samples to appreciate the benefits of using large, random samples.

Strengthening Undergraduates’ Appreciation Of Engineering Ethics Through A Simulated Stakeholder Meeting On Offshore Wind Energy Development, Maija A. Benitz

Engineering, Computing & Construction Management Faculty Publications

The need for deepening students’ appreciation for the importance of engineering ethics remains ever present. However, accomplishing this learning outcome can be challenging, as the principles often come across as abstract and distant to many undergraduates. To combat these challenges, a group-based assignment and corresponding in-class role-playing activity were developed for an upper-level ocean engineering elective course, based on a local case study about offshore wind energy development. The new pedagogical approach aims to present engineering ethics in a more tangible and relatable way by requiring students to role-play a real-world scenario from their own university’s backyard. Students worked on …

Accuracy Assessment Of The Ebee Using Rtk And Ppk Corrections Methods As A Function Of Distance To A Gnss Base Station, Joseph Cerreta, David Thirtyacre, Peter Miller, Scott S. Burgess, William J. Austin

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

The use of unmanned aircraft systems to collect data for photogrammetry models has grown significantly in recent years. The accuracy of a photogrammetric model can depend on image georeferencing. The distance from a reference base station can affect the accuracy of the results. Positioning corrections data relies on precise timing measurements of satellite signals. The signals travel through the Earth's atmosphere, which introduces errors due to ionospheric and tropospheric delays. The aim of this research was to examine the eBee X and its global GNSS accuracy by comparing the RTK and PPK methods at different base station distances in photogrammetry …

Teachers' Instructional Strategies In Integrated Stem Education, Yousef Alrashdi, Paul A. Asunda

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (iSTEM) education has been regarded as a model that provides students with skills necessary for future careers and enhances the economy of nations. Although there is a considerable body of research on the effective educational approaches in iSTEM education including problem-based and project-based learning, the ways teachers implement these approaches remain ambiguous due to a paucity of consensus about how to effectively use iSTEM approaches in classrooms (Thibaut et al., 2018). Additionally, there is a need for further investigation to understand teachers’ instructional strategies and practices in iSTEM education (Bush, 2019). To fulfill this …

Integrated Stem: Impact Of Engineering Design And Computer Science In Stem Labs, Jason Morphew, Ruben Lopez, Amir Bralin, Ravishankar Chatta Subramaniam, Sanjay Rebello, Carina Rebello

Indiana STEM Education Conference

By integrating physics laboratories with engineering design and computer science, students apply physics principles to ill-structured and complex problems, engage in knowledge transfer, and gain interest in STEM. The introductory physics labs at Purdue have been updated to include engineering design and computer science principles that ground physics in authentic problems. Integrated labs have been evaluated using student perception post-surveys, student course performance, interviews, and case-study observations. Preliminary results indicate that integrated physics labs promote transfer, enhanced metacognitive skills, student interest, and motivation.

Centering F.A.M.I.L.Y. In Black Girls Stem Learning, Crystal Morton, Lawren Nelson, Idaila Wilmoth

Indiana STEM Education Conference

The Fostering and Maximizing Interdisciplinary Learning Year-round (F.a.M.I.L.Y) was a one-year pilot study that provided Black girls and their caregivers with an opportunity to complete collaborative, life-enriching, multidisciplinary, and socially transformative STEM experiences to explore how these learning experiences impact Black girls and their caregivers' enjoyment of STEM, interest in STEM content and careers, and understanding of STEM as a tool for personal and social change. Seven families for a total of 11 scholars and seven caregivers participated in the study. We hosted 10 online learning sessions and one end-of-year face-to-face session. …

Growing In Stem: Hands-On Education Via Tower Gardening, Jeffrey A. Nowak, Shelby Johnston-Werling

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Sole use of a textbook as the primary source of learning in the middle school setting has been linked to potentially limit students’ conceptual understanding of complex content (Driscoll et al., 1994), while the positive impact of hands-on learning has been well documented (Ekwueme et al., 2015; Satterthwait, 2010). Ideally, when a textbook is used in conjunction with content applied in a hands-on manner, student engagement and understanding of standards-based content are increased. In a grant funded collaboration between the Northeast Indiana STEM Education Resource Center housed at Purdue University Fort Wayne and an East Allen Community Schools middle school …

Innovation In Quantum Pedagogy, Application, And Its Relation To Culture (Iqparc), Zeynep Gonca Akdemir, Dongyang Li, Muhsin Menekse, Mahdi Hosseini, Erica W. Carlson, Nicholas Dang

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Innovation in Quantum Pedagogy, Application, and its Relation to Culture (IQ-PARC) is a team of Purdue faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students who collaborate and work for the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, outreach, and workforce initiative programs. We promote a STEM-literate workforce by providing learning opportunities for youth to understand basic principles and applications of quantum concepts through a variety of both face-to-face and online activities. This research brief describes accomplished tasks in the K-12 education space (e.g., quantum-infused middle school curriculum unit) and shares upcoming plans within the project timeline.