Workshops are optional and incur an additional fee of $55 each that can be selected during attendee registration. Each workshop has a capacity limit and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please note: workshops will take place each day after the main conference from 2:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Engineering Notebook Revolution
Presenter(s): Shelly Tornquist & John Peterson
Targeted Grades: K-5
Affiliation: Texas A&M Engineering, Spark! PK-12 Engineering Education Outreach
Materials List: Quadrille lined composition book with graph paper, pen and/or pencil, and colored pencils (optional)
Motivating students to archive work and knowing how to grade their effort is never easy. Learn to document like an engineer by combining visual and analytical thinking. If students will take ownership of their notebook they will become deeper thinkers and take pride in documenting. Shelly Tornquist has led the engineering notebook effort since 2007 teaching over 1000 – mostly unwilling – students and teachers how to sketch, design, and document.
Out-of-the Box: A Furniture Design + Engineering Challenge
Presenter(s): Dr. Robert M. Capraro, Dr. Mary Margaret Capraro, Michael Rugh, Jamaal Young, & Luciana Barroso
Targeted Grades: 9-12
Presenter(s): Hyunkyung Kwon, Danielle Bevan, & Macie Baucum
Targeted Grades: 6-8
Affiliation: Texas A&M Education & Human Development
Materials List: Varying sizes of cardboard (flat and tubes), box cutters, duct tape, glue, masking tape, and measuring tools
Following the Engineering Design Process, participants in a team will design an office space by building four pieces of furniture that meet functional, aesthetic, social distancing space, and financial requirements. We will demonstrate how your prototype can be evaluated by a rubric and functionality test.
Is There a Perfect Food?
Presenter(s): Dr. Danielle Harris & Geraldine Santana
Targeted Grades: 6-12
Affiliation: Texas A&M Agriculture & Life Sciences
Materials List: Access to a food item from the home, internet access, and Powerpoint
Creating a safe accessible food supply in an era of viruses and disease is harder than you think. Engage in developing new products using household items & explore the origins of our food (no it does not come from H-E-B!). Once developed, participants will pitch their product to consumers and investigate getting it to market.
Trust the Process
Presenter(s): Allana Felder
Targeted Grades: K-5
Affiliation: Texas A&M Engineering, Spark! PK-12 Engineering Education Outreach
Materials List: Pencil, paper, varying sizes of cardboard, glue, scissors, graph paper, popsicle/craft sticks, tape, ruler, coffee filters, tissue paper, small disposable cups, pipe cleaners, paper towels/napkins, tissue rolls (toilet/paper towel), rubber bands, string, construction paper or card-stock, paper bags, and empty plastic bottles with lid (optional)
The Engineering Design Process encompasses many skills necessary for analyzing, interpreting, and justifying scientific and mathematical concepts. This session is designed to help educators engage their students in design challenges, virtually and face-to-face, that will strengthen their abilities to think through questions asked on STAAR tests and master each reporting category through process standards.