GROWING PAINS OF THE PHOENIX METRO
AREA
GRAND CHALLENGE: RESTORE AND IMPROVE URBAN
INFRASTRUCTURE
Elizabeth Ridder
Eric Jerome
LESSON OVERVIEW
• Purpose:
• To engage students in the engineering design process
through the creation of a new neighborhood in their area
• To determine the current infrastructure needs of their city
and to generate ideas to expand the design life of the need
• To examine the impacts of new development on current
infrastructure, landscapes, and perceived quality of life
LEARNING ACTIVITY
• Materials:
• Butcher paper – 1 sheet per group of 4, size dependent
upon classroom wall space
• Markers
• Examples of infrastructure, past and current issues, how
issues are addressed
• Time required:
• Three 50-minute classes
LEARNING ACTIVITY – DAY 1
• Introduce students to
different types of
infrastructure through
example and class
generated ideas.
• Discuss problems with the
examples and how these
problems are addressed
LEARNING ACTIVITY – DAY 1
• Introduce engineering
design process
• Assign homework:
• Identify an
infrastructure issue
within the community,
city, or state and
create potential
solutions to increase
the life span by 25
years
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/plantgrowth/reference/Eng_Design_5-12.html
LEARNING ACTIVITY – DAY 2
• Give each group 1 sheet of butcher paper and markers
• Each group will design a new neighborhood in a recently
purchased, undeveloped (desert) area
• Groups will be given a set of design criteria and constraints
• They will have to overcome an “issue” as seen by the city
(land developer) as part of their design proposal
• E.g. Neighborhoods of this size generally use XXX
gallons of water per day but the system that the
neighborhood ties into can only handle an additional XXX
gallons/day. How do you propose to solve this problem?
LEARNING ACTIVITY – DAY 3
• Each group will hang their
poster and in groups of 2
will then travel around the
classroom to ask other
students about their
designs
• Will use a worksheet to
guide student questions
and evaluations of other
student projects
ASSESSMENT
• Day 1 – Written homework assignment
• Day 2 – Informal assessment of group dynamics.
• Day 3 – Participation in explaining design to other classmates.
Turn in completed evaluation form. Potentially have students
evaluate their group’s performance on how each member
contributed to the design, model creation, and explanation of
their design.
CONCEPTS AND STANDARDS
Big Idea/Concept
Arizona Standard(s)
National Standard(s)
Key Word(s)
Observations, Questions, Hypotheses
S1: C1: PO1-3
A
Hypothesis, Prediction
Scientific Testing (Investigation and
Modeling)
Analysis and Conclusions
S1: C2: PO1-5
A
Model, Prototype
S1: C3: PO1-8
A
Evidence, Conclusion, Types of
Relationships, Types of Error, Critique,
Validity, Reliability
Communication (design/results)
Impact of Scientific Development
S1: C4: PO1, 3-5
S2: C1: DP01
A
A
Nature of Scientific Knowledge
S2: C2: PO1-4
A
Changes in Environments
S3: C1: PO1-2
C, F
Science and Technology in Society
S3: C2: PO1-3
E, F
Other ideas/concepts may include: scale,
Multiple
water cycle and local/regional sources,
carbon cycle, energy types and sources
(solar, electric, gas, natural gas, hydrogen),
networks, transportation, sustainability,
urban ecology, green space,
fragmentation/connectedness, coupled
human-environment systems, waste
streams
Multiple
Engineering, Materials, Infrastructure,
Urban
Knowledge, Sample, Bias, Inference
Hazards (natural and human), Risk,
Population(s), Environment, Interactions,
Interdependence
Technology, Design criteria, Urban
Planning, Infrastructure
QUESTIONS/SUGGESTIONS?