Students learn about frequency and period, particularly natural frequency using springs. They learn that the natural frequency of a system depends on two things: the stiffness and mass of the system. Students see how the natural...

Students incorporate their knowledge of civil engineering and physics principles as they design and build a bridge within certain parameters while choosing their own materials.

This is an interesting project that explores which geometrical shapes make the strongest bridge truss structures. It is a good introduction to the engineering design process. You'll design three different trusses, and use online...

Skyscrapers are impressive structures. What does it take to design a building so tall? Engineers use strong materials and innovative design to push the limits of gravity. In this experiment you will use LEGO components, rubber balls, and...

A short discussion about the invention of the submarine and its use by both the Confederates and the Federals in the Civil War. This is a transcript of an accompanying radio broadcast.

A biography of John Ericsson, a man who invented in three countries over most of a century. He invented an early locomotive, a hot-air engine, screw propeller, and the Monitor, which was used in the Civil War. This is a transcript of an...

The Engines of Our Ingenuity is a radio program that tells the story of how our culture is formed by human creativity. The program uses the record of history to reveal the way art, technology, and ideas have shaped us. Episode topics...

Thomas Nast was the first influential American political cartoonist. Read about his transformation from an illustrator of the Civil War to one who took on Boss Tweed and the corruption of Tammany Hall.

Students keep track of their own water usage for one week, gaining an understanding of how much water is used for various everyday activities. They relate their own water usages to the average residents of imaginary Thirsty County, and...

Students apply their understanding of the natural water cycle and the urban stormwater water cycle, as well as the processes involved in both cycles to hypothesize how the flow of water is affected by altering precipitation.

This lesson challenges students to solve congestion and traffic delays in an intersection through modifying traffic signal operation. Students are required to collect traffic data, optimize the timing of a traffic signal via the use of...

In this activity, you build and test two types of bridges: a simple suspension bridge and a beam bridge. Which bridge design is stronger?

A website dedicated to the engineering marvel, USS Alligator. Read a history and find blueprints of this innovative submarine. Use the topics on the left to navigate the site. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

College-level online course highlighting the fundamentals of ecology. Course topics include coevolution of the biosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere; photosynthesis and respiration; and the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles....

All structures require a foundation to keep them from falling down. This is especially important when a structure is built on a hill or on a slope. In this science project, you will build a tower of Lego Duplos on slopes with different...

In this project, students will build model earthquake-resistant buildings and measure their movement during a simulated earthquake using a mobile phone and a sensor app.

A biography James Buchanan Eads (1820-1887) and the story of his attempts to tame the mighty Mississippi River with science and technology during and after the Civil War.

Find out the different strengths of two types of bridges, beam and suspension, by building your own. This Science Buddies science project gives you the means to find out. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently...

Geodesic domes are made of interconnected triangles that approximate the shape of a sphere. This project shows you how to build a geodesic dome using rolled-up newspapers and tape and then test how much weight your dome can support.

Foundations for many types of structures rest on soil. This project shows how you can investigate the bearing capacity of different types of soil.

This Science Buddies project asks that you identify different kinds of bridges, discover why they are built as they are, and then build three different bridges of your own out of balsa wood. See which one you think can bear the heaviest...

Building a bridge in San Francisco has to take into account the possibilites of earthquakes. This Science Buddies science project asks that you use different virtual bridge designs to withstand virtual earthquakes. The Science Buddies...

Concrete is one of those things that most of us don't think about much, yet we use it every day. We walk on concrete sidewalks, drive on concrete roads, and live and work in buildings with foundations made of concrete. It is a durable...

From a book written by a civil engineer, John Debo Galloway, this article discusses the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad including construction methods, problems, and the eventual meeting of the rails at Promontory Point.