Design It!

Engineer Intro

Engineers don't just build things — they solve problems under real constraints like weight, cost, and materials. Start by watching "What is Engineering?" on the TED-Ed YouTube channel. Then browse the engineering challenges at pbslearningmedia.org and tryengineering.org — both are free and full of ideas. Look around your house or school and identify three things that were designed by an engineer: a chair, a water bottle, a backpack. For each one, think: what problem does it solve? What material is it made from, and why? What would happen if you changed one thing about the design? Engineers in Utah design everything from ski lifts in the Wasatch Mountains to water treatment plants along the Jordan River. You're ready for the next step when you can describe the engineering design process (define, research, brainstorm, build, test, improve) in your own words with a real example.

Tower Challenge

Your challenge: build the tallest freestanding tower you can using only 20 index cards and 30 cm of tape — no other materials. Before you touch anything, spend five minutes sketching three different designs on paper. Think about what shapes are strongest: triangles? cylinders? a wide base? Start building your best design, but stop at the halfway mark and measure it. If it's wobbling, iterate — fix one thing at a time and note what changed. Engineers call this rapid prototyping. Watch "Why Triangles are Stronger" on YouTube to understand the geometry behind structural stability. The world record spaghetti tower is over 9 meters tall — ambition counts. You're ready for the next step when your tower stands on its own for 30 seconds without touching a wall or other support, and you have written down what design change made the biggest difference.

Bridge Builder

Now build something that carries weight across a gap. Your challenge: using only 15 popsicle sticks and wood glue, build a bridge that spans 20 cm and holds as much weight as possible. Bridges fail in two main ways — compression (being crushed from above) and tension (being pulled apart from the sides). Watch "How Bridges Work" by Practical Engineering on YouTube to see how real engineers handle both forces. Research the truss design — it's what makes bridges like the ones over the Jordan River in Salt Lake City so strong relative to their weight. Sketch your design first, build it, let the glue dry fully (at least 2 hours), then test it by stacking coins or small weights in the center. You're ready for the next step when your bridge spans the full 20 cm gap and holds at least 250 grams without collapsing.

Egg Drop Prep

Your next challenge is protecting a raw egg from a drop of at least 3 meters — but with a twist: your entire package must weigh under 100 grams total and use only materials you can find at home. No buying anything. Search your house for potential materials: plastic bags, rubber bands, straws, cotton balls, foam, string. Before building, research the physics: the goal is to slow the egg down and spread the impact force across a larger area and longer time. Watch "Egg Drop Science" on YouTube to see different strategies — parachutes, crumple zones, and foam padding each work differently. Sketch your design and label every material choice with a reason. Weigh your completed device on a kitchen scale. You're ready for the next step when your completed egg drop device weighs under 100 grams and you have written a prediction for which part of your design will absorb the most impact.

Test & Iterate

Test your egg drop device, then engineer your way to a better result. Drop it from 3 meters — stairwell, balcony, or have an adult help from a ladder. Record exactly what happened: did the egg survive? Where did the device fail first? If the egg broke, study the failure point — that's where your next design improvement goes. Engineers rarely get it right on the first try. In fact, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ran thousands of test drops when designing Mars rover landing systems. Rebuild or modify your device and drop again. Try at least two test iterations. Track your data in a table: drop number, height, device weight, result. You're ready for the next step when you have completed at least two drop tests, documented both results, and made at least one design change based on what you observed.

Final Drop

Your final drop: commit to your best design and test it from maximum height — at least 4 meters if you can safely manage it. Before you drop, write your full engineering report: the problem you were solving, all three challenge results (tower, bridge, egg drop), your design evolution with sketches, and what you would change with more time and materials. Take photos or video of each challenge. Compile everything into a presentation using Google Slides (free) or a printed poster board — either works. Present your findings to an audience of at least five people: family, classmates, or neighbors. If your school has a science fair or engineering expo, enter it. You're ready for the next step when you have presented your engineering report to a live audience, answered at least two questions about your design choices, and your egg survived the final drop.