The Engineer It! Visitor Experience
Engineer It! is an entertaining, educational exhibition that presents science as an open-ended discovery process. Visitors to Engineer It! engage in multiple-outcome activities with no right or wrong answers. More than 20 individual components provide opportunities for visitors to engage in experimental engineering design. Real objects, information about modern applications of engineering principles and facilitated demonstrations enhance each experience.
In the Water Area, experiment with propulsion and streamlining in three huge water tanks. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science has added some unique activities to help you see and learn some of the futuristic applications of the principles you have learned like experimenting with hovercraft, racing yachts and creating a new kayak design.
Speedboats: Create a speedboat by choosing from a variety of bow and stern designs to see which ones move the fastest in the long, low tank. As you test each one, see how shape affects speed.
Paddleboats: Design rubber band-powered paddleboats by using a variety of paddles and then observe how your vessels traverse the tank. Variables such as the number of rubber bands, the shape of the blades, and the amount of paddle surface extending into the water affect the outcome.
Sailboats: Fabricate the fastest possible sailboat by selecting from various sails and keels and then testing them with a “wind source” mounted at the head of the tank. The position and shape of the sails and the keels affect the sailboats’ performance.
The Buildings and Bridges Area features everything from earthquakes to arches to rockets.
Walk-On Earthquake Platform: Construct a building from giant foam blocks and test how well it survives a simulated earthquake and delayed aftershock. Like ground movements in an actual earthquake, this platform moves back and forth, pauses and moves again, realistically imitating the motion of a quake and aftershock.
Shake Tables: Construct unique buildings using plastic columns, cross bracing and floor components, log blocks and building blocks. Then, test the buildings on three earthquake simulation tables to see how well they stand up.
Build-A-Bridge Computer Kiosk: With the help of a specialized computer program, challenge yourself to build a bridge that can support the weight of a truck or train. The program has four levels of difficulty with options for tutorials and hints along the way.
Paper Bridge: Fold, roll or cut pieces of paper to create a bridge that will connect two wooden supports. Then, test the strength of your bridge using a specified weight.
Arch Bridge: Arrange blocks to build an arch bridge to discover how the Romans did it more than 2,000 years ago. Also, examine a model of a bridge designed by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago that was not built until three years ago and learn about modern bridge design in some unique Denver additions to the exhibition.
Cantilever Bridge: Stack blocks projecting out from a base to learn how the center of gravity determines the amount of possible overhang in a cantilevered bridge design. Don’t tip them over!
Catenary Arch: Teamwork is the name of the game when you assemble a seven-foot catenary arch. You’ll learn how the curve of this arch eliminates sideways forces (shear) and only experiences forces that are parallel to the curve.
Cargo Crane: Turn the wheels of an 11-foot cargo crane to maneuver freight onto a conveyor belt.
Gears: Use intermediate gears to see how motion can be transferred from one gear to another.
Belts & Pulleys: Experiment with pulleys and drive belts to make them work together or move in different directions.
In the Wind Area, explore flight and wind power with models, wind tunnels and launch pads.
Walk-In Wind Tunnel: Put on large foam wings and discover how lift and drag are related to flight. Experiment with angle of attack as a variable in determining the effectiveness of a wing to produce lift and reduce drag.
Windmills: Design and test a propeller for speed and power by choosing blade shape, number of blades and angle of attack. Measure its success by the electrical output produced by a generator.
Paper Airplanes: Select from a computer menu of plane designs and follow step-by-step folding instructions to create a paper airplane. Then test your design for flight stability in a wind tunnel.
Fan Table: Experiment with vertical flight designs you fashion from paper cups in this DMNS addition, tearing and bending various parts to catch the air, hover and spin.
RocketWorks Lab: Design and construct your own rocket. Then, launch your rocket on a 100-foot-long “rocket range,” with the Moon as the target. The lab features actual rocket parts on loan from Lockheed Martin and was created by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibit team.
Wind Energy: Learn more about wind energy by working with different windmill blade designs to discover the most efficient shape for electrical output in this Denver addition to the traveling exhibition. Examine sections of an actual wind turbine blade from the NREL National Wind Technology Center and a working turbine model.
Video Kiosk: View clips from the PBS “Futures” series, in which classrooms explore fields of engineering through projects and discussions, encouraging children to think about engineering as a career.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science Additions:
In addition to the RocketWorks Lab and the fan table, the Museum will feature other futuristic and creative engineering applications in a series of participatory programs, videos and activities that are additions to the traveling exhibition.
Brainstorm Activity: The audience leads the presenter in this program and along the way flexes its communal imagination and “out-of-the-box” problem-solving skills. Presented with a simple challenge, you’re encouraged to brainstorm as many different solutions as you can, while the presenter conducts experiments based on the suggestions.
Build a Geodesic Dome: Participate in a demonstration of the innovative engineering principles that Buckminster Fuller used. Experience creative engineering firsthand as you join together to build a large geodesic dome in the spirit of a “barn raising.”
Video: A rotating offering of video programs will include selections from Discovery Channel’s “Extreme Engineering” series and History Channel’s “Modern Marvels,” both of which celebrate innovation and creative solutions to amazing engineering challenges. Other videos include a DMNS-produced robotics video and “The Way Things Go,” a film produced by Peter Fischli and David Weiss.
Solar Energy: Learn some of the ways that energy can be extracted directly from the Sun. See how solar collecting mirrors, photovoltaic cells and other renewable energy systems work. You’ll understand some of the challenges that face engineers working to create a sustainable world.
Animal Engineers: Look for additional exhibits around the Museum that feature both invertebrates and birds to showcase the natural history side of engineering.
Museum Escalator: Get a “behind-the-scenes” glimpse of the inner workings of one of the Museum’s escalators.
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DMNS-06-57
Engineer It! was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and was created and is circulated by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon.
