Engineering design challenges
Designed to spark an interest in STEM, and engineering in particular, these design challenges have been created with a "build it" theme running throughout. These challenges provide youth an opportunity to create and innovate as they work on projects that often have real-world significance or context. All of the design challenges use simple materials that participants can find at home.
Once participants have completed a design challenge, share some pictures of their creations online and tag @EngineersCanada!
Engineers Canada thanks Engineers Geoscientists New Brunswick for creating these design challenges and allowing us to share them on ExploreEngineering.ca.
Design a boat that can carry a cell phone or iPod (sealed in a plastic bag!) without sinking.
Design a car that can perform an incredible stunt AND keep its passenger safe from falling out of the vehicle or the impact of the crash.
Build a spinnable ferris wheel out of objects you find around the house, including the wheel, spokes, and seats.
Create a cooler that will keep an ice cube inside frozen longer than one outside of the cooler.
Create a below-the-knee prosthetic out of household objects and use it to walk across a room.
Design a tennis racket out of household objects and use it to hit a ball to a target or to another person.
Create a tool that allows you to take a sample of a sandwich and examine the different layers.
Create a tool that you could use to pick up an object that is 1 metre away from you on the ground.
Design a roof for a cardboard box that prevents the inside from getting wet when you pour water on it.
Create a water bottle sensor-holder that will be suspended in the water, neither floating to the top nor sinking to the bottom.
