Project: PLTW - Aerospace Engineering Design

Step Description Expected Student Results
1 Wind Turbine Project / Career Exploration and Planning:

Student Task: Students will list the steps of the PLTW design process and for each step they will preplan the objectives for this project in their engineering notebook. The pdf file for this project is available in the teacher's project file area.

• Define the problem -- identify a problem
• Generate concepts – research, brainstorm, and select an approach
• Develop a solution -- develop detailed sketches, determine specific material, and determine how and when each step of the solution will be accomplished
• Construct and test a prototype – build, test, and collect data
• Evaluate the solution – optimize/redesign the solution if needed
• Present the solution – document and present their finds on their Weebly portfolio page

Student Task: Students will create/share a Gantt chart with a project end date of March 3rd.

Student Task: The student will write an introductory letter to their mentor, it will include a description of the Wind Turbine project and their current progress in the project. They include a Gantt chart with dates and milestones. They will include a description of their area of primary career interest, citing specific reasons why this career is of interest.

Students will also ask the mentor about the importance of doing work of high quality in their chosen area of interest, developing a competitive career plan and establishing a professional network.

Students will explore the challenges faced by wind turbine companies with help from a mentor. The student and mentor will discuss how those challenges may be addressed in the construction of the wind turbine in class. The pdf file for this project is available in the teacher's project file area.

Student Task: Students ask mentors a few key questions:

1. What is the required quality of writing in your workplace?

2. How important is successful collaboration in your job?

3. How many professionals are in your network?

4. Who sets the bar of quality for your work?

The student will also share what they know about the Wind Turbine project and what the hope to learn. Student and mentor will explore a few top wind turbine companies and determine their leadership position and some of the challenges they face. A great Web site for students and mentors to explore is: http://www.windustry.org/pros_cons_wind_energy

Student Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: The mentor will reply by asking questions about student interests and offering his/her own insight. Through the questioning, the mentor will try to help the student narrow the primary interest if necessary that he/she would like to explore further.

Mentor Task: The mentor will share the importance of the three assets above and how they have influenced their own career.

Mentor Task: The mentor will share his/her experiences in project management and in design process.

STEP ONE Outcomes will be an introductory letter from student to mentor that includes their school and extracurricular interests and activities. The letter will include a description of student's primary area of career interest and will explain the specific reasons for their focus on that career.

The student will also share about the Wind Turbine project, what they know about the project and what the plan to accomplish.

After the mentor reviews and responds to the student's portfolio, the student will respond to mentor with a well-written, correctly punctuated letter thanking mentor for their interest and answering any questions raised by the mentor.
2 Wind Turbine Project: Generate concepts and Develop a solution

Student Task: Students will research basic variables that impact turbine performance, they will record their findings in their engineering notebook.

The variables are:
• blade length
• number of blades
• weight/distribution of weight on blade
• blade pitch/angle
• blade shape
• blade material
• blade twist

Student Daft: Students will share their research with their mentor/instructor and discuss possible materials and designs for the blade. Students will sketch possible designs in their engineering notebook. Note: Blade design length will not exceed 10” from the center hub

Project Iterations: Mr. Martinez will describe the iterative process of student draft, mentor feedback followed by improved student draft for suitable milestones and checkpoints for the project.

Career Research: There are 17 ABET accredited degree programs that are identified by PLTW as Engineering Disciplines: 1. Aerospace 2. Agricultural 3. Biomedical 4. Chemical 5. Civil 6. Computer Hardware 7. Electrical 8. Electronics 9. Environmental 10. Health and Safety 11. Industrial 12. Marine and Ocean 13. Materials 14. Mechanical 15. Mining and Geological 16. Nuclear 17. Petroleum

Mentor Task: After the student has shared their research and possible ideas for blade designs, the mentor give input on their designs and possible blade materials. (mentors I have a laser cutter, 3d printers, CNC mill, wind tunnel, and a vacuum former. Possible blade materials I have in the shop: matboard, paper, card stock, ABS and PLA 3d filament, flat roof flashing, and fiberglass/kevlar/carbon fiber fabric)

Student Task: After mentor feedback the student will develop detailed sketches, determine specific material, and determine how and when each step of the construction will be accomplished. They will provide the mentor with all sketches/CAD Autodesk designs, assemblies, and construction process.

Students Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: After the student has identified two careers that are of the most interest to him/her, the mentor will send the student suggested research keywords and helpful websites to use during internet research on their two selected career areas of interest. In addition, the mentor should send the student some specific questions related to exploring the careers to help provoke thought and further study.

Student Task: Students will research and record information about five careers of interest using websites such as www.collegeboard.com and http://www.stemjobs.com/engineering-week-2/ and any other reputable sources. Students will write a letter to their mentor to share which careers they researched and what information was most of interest to them during their research.

Student Task: Students will rank-order their top career choices and will select two careers that are of the most interest to them out of all the ones they have researched through www.collegeboard.com. Then, they will conduct further online research about those two top choice careers with the help of their mentors. Students will compose an informal, informational paragraph on each career of interest that includes material from at least three online or printed sources. The web address (html) or bibliographical information for each source must be listed in a bibliography after the research paragraph and each source must be cited within the document to indicate where the information came from.

Students Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval. 		STEP TWO Outcomes will include correspondence between student and mentor throughout this step as it relates to the following tasks: The student will share what they know about building this wind turbine in class, the challenges, real and perceived, and share what they plan to accomplish this week.

Project Iterations: Students shows Mr. Martinez the latest drafts of their work, how the mentor's feedback influenced their work and the improved draft, building professional collaboration skills and improving the quality of student work.

Career Research:
17 ABET accredited degree programs that are identified by PLTW as Engineering Disciplines: 1. Aerospace 2. Agricultural 3. Biomedical 4. Chemical 5. Civil 6. Computer Hardware 7. Electrical 8. Electronics 9. Environmental 10. Health and Safety 11. Industrial 12. Marine and Ocean 13. Materials 14. Mechanical 15. Mining and Geological 16. Nuclear 17. Petroleum

Student Task: Students will research and record information about five careers of interest using www.collegeboard.com. They will access http://www.abet.org/accreditation/ and research careers of interest within the ABET accredited degree programs and take notes on important information from programs of interest. Students will write a letter to their mentor to share which careers they researched and what information was most of interest to them during their research.

Student Task: Students will rank-order their top career choices and will select two careers that are of the most interest to them out of all the ones they have researched through www.collegeboard.com. Then, they will conduct further online about those two top choice careers with the help of their mentors. Students will compose an informal, informational paragraph on each career of interest that includes material from at least three online or printed sources. The web address (html) or bibliographical information for each source must be listed in a bibliography after the research paragraph and each source must be cited within the document to indicate where the information came from.

Student Task: At the end of each of the two career paragraphs that you write, there must be a Conclusion Section. In the Conclusion Section, answer the following questions:
1. From what you have learned through your research, do you feel you are suited to this career? 2. Why or why not?
2. What do you need to do this week/month/and year to work towards a career in this goal?
ALL information taken from sources other than the student's own experience must be paraphrased.

Student Task: Students will copy and paste a copy of the original electronic source file and web address in their school work-group folder at school. (This is the article or information found on the internet that they paraphrased for their informational paragraph.) Each file should be identified by source title so teacher may easily access it electronically to check for paraphrasing after the informational paragraphs are turned in.
Each Career Informational Paragraph should include this information along with other interesting information that the student and mentor discover about the career through their research together:
1. The name of the specific career
2. Education and skill preparation/requirements (In other words--what type of degree/training is required for an entry job in this field?)
3. Specific duties that someone in this career will perform
4. Possible challenges/difficulties that may be encountered in this job
5. Expected salary range for someone in this field (compensation)
6. Outlook for future job growth in this field
7. Describe what a student in high school can do to prepare for this job (include courses to take in high school, volunteer/summer jobs/etc would be helpful to a student wishing to enter this field)
8. Possible potential employers for someone working in this field (Hospitals? Schools? Companies?
9. What are some other career fields that are related to this field?
3 Wind Turbine Project: Construct and test a prototype/Evaluate the solution/Present the solution

Student Task: Student will use their final designs to construct turbine blades. Student will document the construction process and share the status of the build, provide successes, challenges to date, and invite critique from the mentor.

Student Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Mentor will provide feedback on construction and suggest changes that will improve or help the process.

Student Task: Student will use mentor feedback to complete construction of turbine blades and prepare for testing. Student will test their blades on the turbine test stand per test procedures. Student will discuss the blade testing parameters, testing results and modifications. Student will collect and document data to share with mentor.

Student Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Mentor will provide feedback on the data collect by student and suggest changes that will improve or help turbine performance.

Student Task: Student will use mentor feedback to improve turbine performance, will document and share their findings.

Student Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Mentor will provide final feedback on the data collect by student and suggest changes that will improve or help turbine performance.

Student Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Student Task: Student will use all data, documents collected and mentor feedback to create a Weebly web page to present their final solution. Student will use Mr. Martinez template. Student will share their final solution with mentor for feedback.

Student Draft: Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Mentor will suggest any final input before student submitting project for grading.

Mentor Task: The mentor will help the student identify two top professionals who are currently living and actively involved in student's career field of interest, and two professional organizations in the student's career field of interest. 		STEP THREE Outcomes:

Wind Turbine Project:

The student will iterate on the design and development of the wind turbine and show Mr. Martinez how the mentor's feedback influences the design, overcoming challenges, etc.

Knowledge and Skills

It is expected that students will:
1. Use the PLTW engineering design process to complete the task
2. Describe the parts and functions of a wind turbine.
3. Document and create test procedures.
The third portfolio entry will be a written summary of student research into top professionals and professional organizations.

Step 1: The student will research and identify the names/biographies of two well-known individuals working in the career field the student is researching. They will write a paragraph about the accomplishments of each individual, specifically describing what accomplishments make those individuals top professionals in their fields. The individuals must be currently living and active in the student’s career field of interest.

Step 2: The student will understand and analyze the importance of professional organizations and will identify and research two professional organizations that are designed to help professionals in their career areas of interest. Students will visit their websites and will create a document including the professional website web-address, membership information/requirements, and at least one benefit of joining each of the professional organizations. They will also include the graphic symbol of that professional organization in their document.
Student will submit research to mentor for feedback.
4 Step Four: Space and satellite orbits.

Student Task: Students first assignment is Activity 3.1.1 Sizing Up the Universe the purpose of this activity is to gain an appreciation for the enormous dimensions of space.

Student Draft: Students will share their thoughts about the galaxy create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Mentors have the option to follow the assignment http://learning.si.edu/idealabs/sizinguptheuniverse/. Mentors will provide/share feedback from student.

Student Task: Activity 3.2.7 Systems Tool Kit, in this activity student will be guided on how to use the STK10 software. The tutorial will prepare them to design satellite orbits later in the unit.

Mentor Task: Communicating complex information is a skill. In this step students will share the outcomes for the activity and describe/communicate their results. Mentors will guide students to create an document or email that briefly describes what they are currently learning in activity 3.2.7 Systems Tool Kit. Please ask students for any clarification about this activity.
 Step Four Outcomes:

It is expected that students will:

1. Recognize common celestial groups such as galaxy, star and planet.
2. Describe the relative sizes of celestial bodies.
3. Organize and express thoughts and information in a clear and concise manner.
4. Describe common satellite orbital pattern shapes and applications.
5. Identify the most appropriate orbital pattern for an application.
5 Step Five: Project 3.1.3 Space Junk Mitigation.

Student Task: In this activity students will research the volume of space junk and propose a solution to cleaning up the debris. They will design a system to mitigate space junk and create a mockup of their solution using paper, cardstock, cardboard, or other classroom supplies. They will present their solution to the class.

Student Draft: Students will share their research and brainstorm ideas with mentor. Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Mentors will provide/share feedback from student.

Student Task: Students will design a system to mitigate space junk. Students need my final approval before creating their space junk removal mockup.

Student Draft: Students will share their detailed design sketches with Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Students will share detailed design sketches with mentors. Mentors will provide/share feedback from student.

Student Task: Students will create their mockups and PowerPoint presentation.

Student Draft: Students will share their mockups and PowerPoint presentation with Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: Students will share their mockups and PowerPoint presentation with mentors. Mentors will provide/share feedback from student.
 Step Five Outcomes:

It is expected that students will:

1. Identify the impact that space junk has on space based activities.
2. Organize and express thoughts and information in a clear and concise manner.
3. Design a system to mitigate space junk.
4. Construct a prototype to demonstrate a design solution.
6 Step Six: Space and satellite orbits.

Student Task: Students will use the STK10 software to build a scenario that allows them to calculate a simple line-of-sight access between their house or school and the International Space Station (ISS) that considers lighting and elevation limitations.

Student Draft: Students will share their thoughts on the process of building a scenario of a real-word problem. Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval.

Mentor Task: In this step students will share the outcomes for the activity and describe/communicate their results. Mentors will guide students to create an document or email that briefly describes what they are currently learning in activity. Please ask students for any clarification about this activity.
 STEP Six Outcomes:

It is expected that students will:

1. Organize and express thoughts and information in a clear and concise manner.
2. Build a scenario that models a real-world problem.
7 Step Seven: Model Rocket Design.

Student Task: Students will design and build a virtual rocket to perform a mission. Student will use Autodesk Inventor to create assembly of the model rocket they will build later for a real launch. Students will document the model rocket design on their Website portfolio.

Student Draft: Students will share their thoughts on the process of creating an assembly in Autodesk Inventor. Students will create a draft and submit it to Mr. Martinez for approval. Student will share and communicate this weeks task with mentor.

Mentor Task: Students will share their designs and Website portfolio with mentors. Mentors will provide/share feedback on the Website content. The information must be organize and clear so anyone can understand the information.
Student Task: After mentor feedback the student will make changes to their Website portfolio and share with mentor.
 STEP SEVEN Outcomes:

It is expected that students will:

1. Organize and express thoughts and information in a clear and concise manner.
2. Build a scenario that models a real-world problem.
3. Describe parts and functions of a typical model rocket engine.
4. Describe model rocket components and functions.
8 STEP Eight:

STEP Eight Outcomes:

9 STEP NINE:

STEP NINE Outcomes:

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