Think Tank Time

• Think about working as an engineering team, why do you think teamwork is so important?

• Write your answer on an index card.

DAY 1

Engineering Design ChallengeWhat Floats Your Boat?

Day 1

Team Challenge!• Your team has been selected to be part of the

first study of marine plankton in the Gulf of Mexico. An environmental group has raised funds to build a state-of-the-art research ship to explore the plankton populations and their impact on the health of our oceans.

• Your challenge is to design, build, and test a prototype (model) of the ship that will carry the new technology and tools needed for this exploration.

Examples of AlgaeAlgae come in endless varieties.

Criteria & ConstraintsCriteria: The model ship must:• Float• Have the capacity to carry a minimum of one

piece of imaging equipment without sinkingConstraints: You will have:• Only one square of aluminum foil that measures

12x12 cm per ship• Only 20 minutes to design and test your

prototypes

Think Tank Time

Think about your work as

an engineer in Day 1 of

the challenge.

On an index card, list and describe each step of the engineering design process your team has completed.

DAY 2

What Did You Learn?

• How did the way you loaded your cargo affect the stability of your ships?

• Did you see a pattern in your models that impacted how much equipment they could carry?

Exit Question

A. Write one sentence explaining why engineers need to work in teams to solve problems.B. Describe one way you used math and one way you used science in this design challenge.