Last teacher workshop we previewed awesome middle school and high school bioenergy textbooks from Facing the Future. These books are filled with activities including Sustainable Flight in the Pacific Northwest, which is a great real life example. In this activity students will research different biofuels and decide which one is best suited to be mixed with jet fuel. They will then trace the production process and explore stakeholder’s positions with their classmates. Collectively classmates must come up with a new jet fuel policy that satisfies all of their stakeholders. This activity encourages healthy debate and will allow students to act as policy makers. We will be handing out the Facing the Future textbooks during the teacher workshop and we encourage you to check out their other amazing activities.
We did not forget about our middle school students. We wanted them to have a fun game as well and we made one with help from PBS SciGirls. This game was modified so that students could test their bioenergy knowledge. As the name suggests students will be quizzed on bioenergy based science, technology, engineering, and math questions. The questions are meant to get kids moving and using their creativity skills. Check it out!
Teachers, we have been dormant for a while so we could create amazing activities for you and your students. The teacher workshop is just a few weeks away and we wanted to give you a preview of one of the great activities you can use in your classroom. To start, we found this Bioenergy Farm Game from Great Lakes that would be perfect for a high school classroom. Students will take the perspective of a bioenergy farmer to learn the benefits and drawbacks of crops, like corn and switchgrass, that can be turned into fuel. This game allows students to see where and how money is made and the effects of their actions on the environment. Check back for more activities that will be presented at the teacher workshop. See you there!
The spring newsletter is here! Inside, you’ll find a summary of our recent High School Challenge at OSU, updates from several SMILE clubs, information about the upcoming Summer Bridge program, and more. Click here to access the newsletter!
We need your help in making the newsletter more interactive and engaging! Newsletters are an excellent way for clubs to share what they are doing with other SMILE clubs, families, and OSU staff through stories and updates. We are looking to clubs to contribute short pieces about meeting activities with 1 to 2 pictures to be included in the newsletter. Writing a newsletter entry would be a great follow-up for students for a club meeting and a way for them to share what they learned.
If you have any activities, stories, or pictures that you would like to share to be featured in an upcoming newsletter, please send them to Abbe at abbe.lougee@oregonstate.edu.
With Easter around the corner we wanted to show you some natural ways to dye your eggs. The SMILE Club at Forest Grove High School shared with us the experiment they completed during a club meeting. They used things found in nature like grass, cranberries, and apple skins to create their colorful eggs. Check out their work and have a Happy Easter!
Teachers, the Middle School Challenge is just around the corner! Last term we learned some important lessons from our Mechanical Engineering Team that has hopefully helped your students construct a cable car. We hope that you pass these lessons along to your students so that we can have a successful Middle School Challenge. Here is a list of what you need to do before the challenge.
1) Make sure your students check out the videos we have been posting and do some research on cable car designs.
2) Make sure they have read and understand the requirements for the cable car. Feel free to post any questions.
3) Have your students make at least one club cable car to share at the Middle School Challenge. This car will need to be completed before the challenge as we will be doing a LEGO based industrial and manufacturing engineering challenge.
4) Come to the Middle School Challenge ready share and test your cable car! We look forward to seeing you at Eastern Oregon University on April 26th, or Portland Community College on May 3rd, or Southern Oregon University on May 10th.
Again if you have any questions please post them in the comments or contact us directly through email.
For centuries, scientists have tried to explain this gravity-defying phenomena. This chain curve, or “fountain”, happens due to the forces acting on the chain, which is explained in the video below. The Royal Society also tries other chains to see if they are capable of creating a fountain. Check it out!
Our engineering team got a chance to peak into the auto shop of Oregon State University’s Formula SAE Racing Team. The team won a national championship back in 2010 and is trying to do so again this year. Never heard of Formula SAE racing? In this trailer of the short film Relentless the OSU team shows part of the process in preparing for this race. Be sure to check out Youtube to see all of Relentless.
When our engineering team stepped inside the shop of this year’s Formula SAE team, they got to have a sneak peak of how a part is designed and engineered. This end cap is an important engine part that will help the formula car go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds. Check it out:
![photo[3]-2](http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/smile/files/2014/04/photo3-2.jpg)
![photo[5]-2](http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/smile/files/2014/04/photo5-2.jpg)
