A new way to teach science
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In the best university engineering programs around the world, students at some point will encounter a class that is different from all others. This is an engineering design class where rather than being individually tested on lectures and textbook proficiency, the class is challenged to work as a team and design a complex engineering system that can meet a challenging set of requirements. increase.
For example, an aerospace engineering class is tasked with designing a new high-performance, low-cost fighter aircraft whose speed, range, ceiling, maneuverability, weapons, survivability, and productivity all exceed specified lower bounds. may be imposed. Classes are typically divided into subgroups, each assigned to find the best solution for critical areas such as aerodynamics, propulsion, weapons, structure, and cost.
Inevitably, the best solution in each area will compete with all other solutions. For example, a more powerful engine maximizes an aircraft’s speed, but takes away mass that could be used for more weapons or stronger structures, and almost always costs more to improve something. A trade-off needs to be made to find the compromises that allow for the best overall aircraft possible. Competing designs against each other in inter-university tournaments can sometimes be further enhanced.
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Dr. Robert Zubrin is President of Pioneer Astronautics and the Mars Society. His latest book “The Case for Space” (opens in new tab)Robert invented technology for space propulsion and exploration, has authored over 200 technical papers, and was a member of Lockheed Martin’s “Scenario Development Team” tasked with creating new strategies for space exploration. was
I graduated from college with a BA in Applied Mathematics and taught middle school science and math for several years before returning to graduate school to become an engineer. As a result, it wasn’t until I stumbled upon an engineering design class. rear I used to be a teacher. When I got there, I quickly realized that engineering design classes could provide a great methodology for high school science education as well.
After 40 years of doing nothing about it, I took advantage of my position as head of the Mars Society this summer to give the idea a try. So in April, he publicly announced that this summer, the Mars Society would open his six-week Mars mission design class and competition to students around the world. Admission he set at $50. This is low enough to be affordable to most people and high enough to keep freeloaders out.
Location doesn’t matter as everything happens on Zoom, but the teams were loosely organized by time zone to facilitate collaboration within the team. 40 students signed up and were divided into 5 teams. Team 1 came from Europe and the Middle East, with the largest contingent from Poland. Team 2 were participants from India and East Asia. Teams 3, 5, and 6 were from the western, eastern, and central time zones of North America, respectively. (Team 4 did not fare well, so its members were split among the remaining members.)
The class began with two weeks of lectures by 12 different experts who specialize in various aspects of Mars mission design, from astrobiology and geology to life support and nuclear engineering. This was to provide background knowledge. However, no attempt was made to organize the messages of each expert into a party line. Some of the perspectives, and suggested readings provided by the lecturers, were frankly contradictory. But in the real world it is. It was up to the students to sort out what made the most sense.
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With this background knowledge in hand, the design team then set to work. They were given the problem of designing a manned Martian mission that would bring as much scientific benefit as possible, assuming it could carry a transport system of up to 30 tons and a crew of up to 6 people to the Martian surface. That was it. It is up to the team to determine the landing site, scientific objectives, crew size, skills, equipment, and length of stay, with up to 18 months allowed. Then I had to design an exploration plan and all the equipment accordingly.
Like any good design problem, these requirements were in conflict with each other. For example, a large crew with the longest possible stay on Mars maximizes the mission’s exploration capabilities. However, the consumables and accommodations required to support them take away mass that could be used for a wider range of equipment, such as pressurized rovers and manned helicopters, which could greatly increase the crew’s effective search range.
Design challenges explicitly ruled out consideration of interplanetary exploration systems. The latter is NASA’s obsession and excludes the mission’s scientific objectives. As such, the space agency’s design of a manned Mars mission involving a 30-day surface stay aimed at an area of least scientific interest is completely ridiculous. But if you can’t do something useful when you get there, there’s no point in going to Mars. Mission objectives must come first, followed by mission and system design.
The students, with minimal guidance from their assigned coaches, worked hard in teams for three weeks to develop and write their designs and were delighted with the assignment.
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Then came the time for a shootout that lasted three days. On the first day, each team had 30 minutes to present their designs to a panel of expert judges. That’s how college engineering design contests usually go. But then it goes by in a spin. On day two, each team was given 30 minutes to tear apart their competitor’s design. Then there was his third day where each team had the chance to defend its design against attacks from the other team.
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This latter step is not common in university engineering design competitions. But it approximates what happens in the real world. In the real world, when you come up with a design solution for NASA’s mission and technical needs, you have competitors who will try to beat you. (Trust me, I know.) The process of offense and defense in our contest was a little more civilized than the process that occurs between fierce free-market competitors. Than behind the target. Still, the resulting intellectual dust-up provided room for kids to rouse their competitive instincts, and they loved it.
The results were astonishing. All teams offered jobs well beyond the high school level. Don’t take my word for it.All courses (opens in new tab)expert lectures, team design presentations, attack and defense videos online (opens in new tab).
Of course, not everyone can win. The East Coast American team won the science category, the West American team won the engineering category decisively, and the Asian team won the Human Factors Design Award. with a prize. The Asian team won the entire competition as he only won one category but performed well in most other categories as well.
I believe what happened in this class deserves widespread attention. The value extends far beyond the direct impact this course has on a small group of students (you can expect a NASA Mars mission design!). It has the potential to make educational history. Engineering Design differs from traditional classes in that it not only teaches students materials for testing, but also puts their knowledge into action by designing complex engineering systems as a team. In doing so, it reverses the traditional relationship between students and scientific knowledge. Instead of knowledge being a burden (“How much knowledge do I need for the test?”), it becomes a tool and sometimes even a magic sword (“What better way to do this?”). should be there. to find out! ”)
Students demonstrated that they could bring this same creative methodology into high school by practicing their methods. Moreover, they showed the value of discussion. In real life, design engineering is a contact sport. So is pure science. Think of the recent claims of Venusian atmospheric biosignatures, or the 1996 Allan Hills meteorite claim, or the uproar over the results of Viking life-detection experiments on Mars in 1976. Science never solves. Scientists and engineers need to be able to defend their ideas. To give students a chance to learn how science actually moves forward, students should be given the chance to mix it up for themselves.
So, if you have time, please take a look. The kids had a blast and the results were fantastic. We certainly plan to do it again.
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