Remote Sensing Beta Test – Engineering Prep Activity: What Is Engineering?

Remote Sensing - Engineering P1 Front

Activity Timing

5 min. Introduction
5 min. Identify and Investigate
20 min. Imagine, Plan, and Create
15 min. Test, Improve, and Communicate
10 min. Reflect

55 min. Total

Prep Snapshot

Prep Time 5 min 

  • Invite a family or community member to your program for the next Activity. 
  • Be sure to read the front matter of the Engineering Educator Guide prior to starting activities.
  • Check the Guide, pg. 4 for important information about the model antenna.

P1 Educator Guide

P1 Engineering Notebook

This snapshot intended for quick reminders and is not a replacement of the guide. Be sure to use the guide for detailed preparation instructions and implementation scripts.

Glossary

Antenna: a structure that helps send and receive signals 

Constraints: limits on a design 

Criteria: things a successful design needs to do or have 

Engineering: the use of creativity and knowledge of math and science to design things that solve problems 

Engineering design process: a set of steps that engineers use to design things to solve a problem 

Technology: an object, system, or process designed by people to solve a problem 

Remote Sensing Engineering Vocab List

21st Century Skills Connection

Collaboration

Habits of Mind

  • Envision multiple solutions.  
  • Construct models and simulations. 

Activity Overview

Youth engineer a tower to support a model antenna and reflect on the engineering design process they used. 

Guiding Question

How can we design something to solve a problem? 

Youth Will Do

  • Youth will think like engineers to design technologies that solve problems. 
  • Youth will design their own engineering design process to solve a problem for their community. 

Youth Will Know

  • Engineers use an engineering design process as a tool to solve problems. 
  • Technology is any object, system, or process designed by people to solve a problem. 

Additional Resources

Connecting Across Activities

  • This activity establishes a baseline understanding of how an engineering design process creates technologies that solve problems.
  • Next, in the Engineering Context-Setting Activity, they explore how engineers work together to design technologies to solve science problems.