Earthquakes

Introduce students to the causes and effects of earthquakes, how earthquakes travel and how they affect buildings and structures. They would also learn that earthquake safety involves construction safety. To that end, the students will construct a tower and check its sustainability in specific earthquake situation. The student group with successful structure will win the challenge for safe structural design. Each unit includes supplies necessary for 20 students to complete 10 one-hour hands-on sessions, instructional DVDs, activity sheets, lesson plans, and program completion certificates. (Note: the pictures do not show the program in its entirety.)

• Week 1-3: Your team will be doing some great experiments after learning about the different kinds of energy waves that are released when the ground under our feet shifts. A slinky is going to help you recreate different kinds of waves that earthquakes are capable of generating. You’ll also be doing some investigation on how and why buildings move during an earthquake.

• Week 4: Your experiments continue as you build a model wall simulator. Your knowledge of structures various forces that are involved in earthquakes is going to be crucial as you construct your wall to withstand a sharp jolt.

• Week 5-10: With all your accumulated knowledge, your team will now construct a tower which must meet specific, height requirements. Your tower will be constructed out of wood and must be able to withstand a real tremor generated by an earthquake simulator. You are doing real engineering!