Making Science and Math Relevant
Through Engineering
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Making Science and Math
Relevant through Engineering
Kristin Sargianis
Dipa Shah, Ph.D.
Engineering is Elementary
Museum of Science, Boston
Elizabeth Parry
Chair-elect, K-12 Division, ASEE
North Carolina State University
College of Engineering
Workshop Goals
 Identify the inherent connections between science,
technology, engineering, and math.
 Provide strategies and examples of how to use engineering
design challenges to support students’ learning in science
and math (and other areas).
 Brainstorm and discuss how to support teachers as they
implement engineering design challenges and make these
connections.
Engineering is Elementary Definitions
 Science:
 Technology:
 Engineering:
 Math:
Engineering is Elementary Definitions
 Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made
world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations
for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions
and comparing them to what happens in new situations.
 Technology:
 Engineering:
 Math:
Engineering is Elementary Definitions
 Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made
world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations
for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions
and comparing them to what happens in new situations.
 Technology: Any object, system, or process that people create or
use to solve a problem or fulfill a desire.
 Engineering:
 Math:
Engineering is Elementary Definitions
 Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made
world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations
for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions
and comparing them to what happens in new situations.
 Technology: Any object, system, or process that people create or
use to solve a problem or fulfill a desire.
 Engineering: A problem-solving process (called the Engineering
Design Process). Engineers use their creativity and understanding
of materials, tools, mathematics, and science to design things that
solve problems for people.
 Math:
Engineering is Elementary Definitions
 Science: The process of inquiring into the natural or human-made
world in an attempt to make observations, develop explanations
for what is observed, and test these ideas by making predictions
and comparing them to what happens in new situations.
 Technology: Any object, system, or process that people create or
use to solve a problem or fulfill a desire.
 Engineering: A problem-solving process (called the Engineering
Design Process). Engineers use their creativity and understanding
of materials, tools, mathematics, and science to design things that
solve problems for people.
 Math: The study and application of patterns and relationships.
Connections between S, T, E, and M
 How do these field support one another?
Take Home Messages
 Scientific discovery and knowledge help to inform
and support engineering design.
 Engineers use science to help inform their designs
of technologies.
 Technologies aid scientific discovery.
 Math is essential to the “doing” of science and
engineering, and to the evaluation of
technologies.
Tower Power
Engineering Design Challenge
 Goal:
Work with your team members to design and
construct the highest tower you can. Your tower must
be able to support the stuffed animal.
 Materials:
100 index cards, 12” cellophane tape, scissors
 Time:
10 minutes
Making Math and Science Relevant Through
Engineering
 Do you notice any connections to math?
What are they? How might you point them out to
students?
 What about connections to science?
 Other subject areas? (Reading, writing, social
studies, art, etc.)
Making Math and Science Relevant Through
Engineering
Has engaging in engineering affected your
students' learning of science and math (or any
other subjects)?
Of 20 survey respondents, 18 explicitly reported
that engaging their students in engineering has
also helped their students utilize their math and
science knowledge.
Several teachers also reported changes in their
students’ problem solving abilities and attitudes
towards math and science.
Has engaging in engineering affected your
students' learning of science and math (or any
other subjects)?
“I say this often and truly mean it! The
engineering units enable students to apply many
skills learned in math to hands-on activities
outside of a math lesson. Students don't often
get the opportunity to measure, collect data and
find the mean or average of data unless they are
in a math class. These units add greatly to my
math curriculum!”
- Grade 4 Teacher, Frank M. Silvia Elementary School
Fall River, MA
Has engaging in engineering affected your
students' learning of science and math (or any
other subjects)?
“I see [students] using math and science in real
world situations and not simply to answer a
question on a test. They are applying what they
know. For example, when recently building
towers, students used their knowledge of mass
to know that heavier objects could not be used at
the top of the tower. They compared weights and
transferred that knowledge towards their
challenge.”
- Grade 3 Teacher, Rachel Freeman Elementary
Wilmington, NC
Green Engineering: Designing Solar Ovens
 Design Challenge:
Students design the insulation for a
solar oven so that the oven stays warm
for as long as possible, even when
taken out of the Sun.
 Students also take the “greenness”
of the materials they use into
consideration.
 Geared towards Grades 3-5
Green Engineering: Designing Solar Ovens
Connections to MATH
 Before designing their solar oven insulation, students
conduct an experiment to collect data and determine how
well certain materials work as thermal insulators.
Green Engineering: Designing Solar Ovens
Connections to MATH
Students collect data during the
experiment, perform calculations, create
graphs, and then draw conclusions that
will help inform their solar oven designs.
“When students are using math in [engineering]
they have ownership of their data. It becomes
more meaningful to them because they are
invested in it. They are more careful about their
measurements and calculations and their data
analyses because they really want their designs
to succeed.”
- Grade 4 Teacher, Frank M. Silvia School
Fall River, MA
Green Engineering: Designing Solar Ovens
Connections to SCIENCE
 Engineers use their knowledge of science to help
inform their designs.
 In this design challenge, students apply their
knowledge of forms of energy and heat transfer as
they design their solar ovens.
• What is heat energy?
• What is temperature?
• What causes changes in temperature?
• What is a thermal insulator/conductor?
• What properties of a material make it a
good/poor thermal insulator?
• Can heat energy be transformed into any
other forms of energy?
“...design projects at the elementary and middle school
levels will be much enriched and put on a firmer
pedagogical foundation if there is an infusion of
science process and content....On the other hand,
science teaching will be greatly enhanced if it occurs in
a design technology context. From my observations
and teaching experience, students are highly
motivated when working on a challenge or problem
that is related to their personal lives or the world
outside of the classroom.”
- Zubrowski, B. (2002) Integrating Science into Design
Technology Projects: Using a Standard Model in the Design
Process. Journal of Technology Education 13 (2), 48-66.
Connections to Other Subject Areas
 Technology
 Writing
 Reading
 Social Studies
 Social Problem Solving
 Art
 Physical Education
 Music
The Big Picture
 What are the barriers to implementing these ideas in
schools? How can we overcome them?
How else does engaging in engineering
affect students?
 Teamwork
& Communication Skills
“I have noticed children who will reluctantly participate in the
regular class become an active member of the team. Through
[engineering], they realize that their opinion is important and
they can help with the solution.”
- Grade 2 Teacher,
Stapleton School, Framingham, MA
How else does engaging in engineering
affect students?

Creativity
“I have been able to see students who typically shut down in
classroom situation excel when presented with engineering
challenges. They become some of the most creative students in
my classroom.”
- Grade 3 Teacher, Rachel Freeman Elementary,
Wilmington, NC
How else does engaging in engineering
affect students?
 Optimism
“I think because children have had the opportunity to really
problem solve on their own, and with their peers they are more
confident in their own abilities. They don't waste any time when
given a challenge.”
- Grade 2 Teacher, Framingham, MA
Acknowledgements
 The Engineering is Elementary project team
 Museum of Science, Boston
 North Carolina State University College of Engineering
 Rachel Freeman Elementary School, Wilmington, NC
 Brentwood Elementary School, Raleigh, NC
 Frank M. Silvia School, Fall River, MA
 Stapleton Elementary School, Framingham, MA
 National Center for Technological Literacy
 National Science Foundation, Liberty Mutual, Intel, Cisco, Bechtel, MA
Board of Education Pipeline Fund, Hewlett-Packard, Millipore
Contacts & More Information
 Engineering is Elementary Project
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www.mos.org/eie
Kristin Sargianis
ksargianis@mos.org
Dipa Shah
dshah@mos.org
Elizabeth Parry
eaparry@ncsu.edu
National Center for Technological Literacy
www.nctl.org
American Society for Engineering Education
www.asee.org (K-12 resources)