During the first three weeks of the Engineering Design Lab we were tasked with coming up with a couple of ideas for labs that middle to high school students would be able to complete. After completing a decision matrix we have decided that the best possible lab we could create is a wind turbine lab. This turbine will allow students to understand how renewable energy can be used to maximize the power generated.
Our intention was to design a lab that has the students design and construct a wind turbine that can charge a cellular device. This lab combines the STEM subjects and has the students use each subject in order to complete this lab. We choose this lab mainly because it teaches how to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy and manipulate the fundamentals of the engineering process in order to build the turbine.
The idea of the wind turbine is when wind blows it starts the windmill and propels the blades which causes the generator to spin and energy to be created. Once energy is created it is then transformed into electricity which then is distributed into the charger and the cell phone is now charging.
http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/sciencepd/energy/wind_flow.htm
For the duration of this lab we broke it up into 3 days worth of activities. Below is the activity breakdown for the students participating in our lab.
- Day 1: Research and Brainstorming
On this day the teacher will give an introduction to renewable energy and how wind is converted into energy. A presentation will be provided that should be presented to the students before lab. They will then be expected to research and brainstorm ideas on how they want to design their wind turbines to pick up the most wind. Students will be expected to have rough sketches that can be shown to the teacher before constructing it.
- Day 2: Building
After rough sketches and enough planning is done the students will then begin constructing their wind turbines. They will take their rough sketches and the materials provided and beginning working on them for the entire duration of the lab.
- Day 3: Last Minute Touches and Testing
On the last day of lab students will be given the opportunity to put final touches on the construction of their lab. However, they will have to keep in mind that time is limited and on day 3 testing and debugging should be done. At the end of the lab students should have a well constructed and functioning wind turbine as their final deliverable.