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Topic: Mechanical Engineering

Change grade range

Resource	Grade Level	Media Type
Air Bag Design Using automobile crash test footage, this video segment adapted from NOVA shows some of the challenges in designing the air bag.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Airplanes: Designing for Stealth Explore this NOVA interactive activity to see how engineers have modified a military plane's sound, shape, and heat emissions to minimize detection.	6-12	Flash Interactive
Anatomy of a Rover In this interactive activity from NOVA, learn about the sophisticated scientific instruments on two identical robotic rovers that have explored Mars — Spirit and Opportunity.	3-12	Flash Interactive
The Beginnings of the Telescope This animated essay from the NOVA Web site examines the design of Galileo's refracting telescope and Sir Isaac Newton's reflecting telescope.	6-12	HTML Document
Chernobyl: What Really Happened? This text excerpted from Richard Rhodes' book, Nuclear Renewal and reprinted on the FRONTLINE Web site examines the causes of the Chernobyl accident.	6-12	HTML Document
Eduardo Torres-Jara In this video from Science City, meet Eduardo Torres-Jara, a postdoctoral associate in electrical engineering and computer science at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab. He describes his work on innovative robots that use tactile feedback to locate and grasp objects.	6-12	MPEG 4 Video
Easy-Fit Design In this video produced for Teachers' Domain, Chi-An Wang, a mechanical engineering graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, describes her process when working with New Balance to design a new triathlon shoe.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Energy Sources This video segment produced for Teachers' Domain illustrates a variety of energy sources used to generate electricity, some of which are in use and some of which are under exploration.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Energy Transfer in a Trebuchet On NOVA, a team of carpenters, timber framers, engineers, and historians recreate a medieval throwing machine called a trebuchet. This adapted video segment explores how understanding energy transfer informs their design.	6-12	QuickTime Video
Engineering for the Red Planet In this video segment from NASA, robotics researcher Ayanna Howard uses engineering to improve the intelligence of robots in space exploration.	6-12	QuickTime Video
Fuel Cells In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon?	6-12	QuickTime Video
Get Close to a Nuclear Fission Reaction! Learn how scientists regulate a nuclear reactor in this animation-enhanced essay from the FRONTLINE Web site.	6-12	HTML Document
Global Warming: Beyond Fossil Fuels Martin Hoffert, professor of physics at New York University, discusses global warming and alternative energies in this interview from the NOVA/FRONTLINE Web site.	6-12	HTML Document
Hoover Dam and Hydroelectric Power How does a dam generate electricity and what are the environmental impacts of operating these mammoth structures? Find out in this video segment adapted from Building Big.	3-12	QuickTime Video
The Impact of Technology: Cars This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey looks at the invention of the automobile and the development of mass production.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Mars Dead or Alive: A Hostile Environment This NOVA video segment describes the challenges presented by the frozen desert environment of Mars to NASA engineers designing two robots that will journey millions of miles to the red planet.	6-12	QuickTime Video
Materials Lab This interactive activity from the Building Big Web site explores the properties of different types of building materials.	3-12	Flash Interactive
Motorcycles for Health In this video segment adapted from Rx for Survival, health care workers in The Gambia learn to use and maintain motorcycles in order to travel to isolated villages with a uniquely designed ambulance attachment that can mean the difference between life and death.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Nuclear Reaction: Fission This video segment adapted from FRONTLINE looks at nuclear fission as an energy source that can be used to generate electricity.	6-12	QuickTime Video
Nuclear Reaction: Meltdown What happens when a nuclear reactor overheats? This video segment adapted from FRONTLINE looks at the nuclear reactor meltdown at Chernobyl, the worst accident of its kind.	6-12	QuickTime Video
Nuclear Reaction: Searching for Safety This text excerpted from Beyond Engineering: How Society Shapes Technology by Robert Pool and reprinted on the FRONTLINE Web site looks at the impact of nuclear power.	6-12	HTML Document
Pilotless Flight: Timeline of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Explore this NOVA interactive timeline and discover the many technological innovations in the history of unmanned flight, from hot-air balloons to miniature flying robots.	6-12	HTML Interactive
Robofly Featuring slow-motion footage of insects in flight, this video adapted from NOVA explores the engineering challenge of designing a robotic aerial vehicle that flies like a bug.	6-12	QuickTime Video
RoboSnail In this video segment adapted from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a team from the Mechanical Engineering Department studies snail movement for inspiration that may lead to new forms of robotic locomotion.	6-12	QuickTime Video
Robot Race In this video segment adapted from NOVA, cars drive themselves. Teams of designers using different technologies compete for a two-million-dollar prize to see which unmanned vehicle will make it to the finish line first.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Segway Technology: What's Newton Got to Do with It? What do the laws of physics have to do with engineering? Find out in this video segment featuring inventor Dean Kamen and his inventions, the IBOT and the Segway.	6-12	QuickTime Video
Simple Solutions Amy Smith is an engineer who designs simple and inexpensive solutions to real-world problems. This video produced for Teachers' Domain features her innovative design for testing the safety of drinking water in the developing world.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Snapshot of U.S. Energy Use This video segment adapted from NOVA/FRONTLINE looks at American energy consumption and the resulting production of greenhouse gases.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Steam Machine Explore NOVA Online's interactive steam engine and discover how this machine can convert heat to mechanical energy.	3-12	Shockwave Interactive
Transforming the Future of Flight In this video segment adapted from NASA, learn how engineers are transforming the future of flight by designing airplanes based on principles found in nature.	3-12	QuickTime Video
Your Carbon Diet In this interactive activity from the NOVA/FRONTLINE Web site, you can click on various items in a typical New England house to find out how much energy each uses and some ways to reduce energy consumption in your home.	6-12	Shockwave Interactive