The College of Engineering makes the following hands-on activities and videos available for checkout for local teachers. Many of these resources accompany our lesson plans, available without restriction to K-12 teachers.
Reserve Resources
- Submit this form to reserve activity kits and videos.
- Descriptions of resources are listed below.
- Resources may be checked out for up to 7 days at a time.
- To reserve videos, enter the titles you want to reserve in “comments” above.
- Pick-up and Drop-off Resources at:
72 S. Central Campus Drive
WEB Room 1620
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Students learn about forces and the motion that can occur as a result. They are introduced to tension as a force. They construct a catapult and determine which length of lever is most effective. Adaptations include engineering a catapult that can launch 3 feet and another that launches 40 feet. With the adaptations, students create a graph and analyze the data.
Grade Level: 7-12
Materials Included: 8 Kits, enough for 32 students
Additional Materials Needed: None
Students are introduced to two types of metal that are used to make golf clubs. They test the clubs to see which one hits the farthest. Concepts of math and graphing are used to analyze trends.
Grade Level: 4-12
Materials Included: Golf clubs and other test equipment
Additional Materials Needed: None
Students are introduced to concepts of computer programming. They program a robot to write the first letter of their name. If more time is available, students take part in other programming challenges including King of the Hill and mazes.
Grade Level: 4-12
Materials Included: 12 Robots, enough for 24-36 students
Additional Materials Needed: Y, see lesson plan
Students are introduced to turbines as a form of generating electricity. They construct wind turbine blades to generate enough voltage to light a LED bulb.
Grade Level: K-12
Materials Included: 1 Turbine Structure, 12 Hub and Dowel Sets, enough for 36 students
Additional Materials Needed: Y, see lesson plan
Students learn about air pressure and aerodynamics. They construct a bottle rocket and use trigonometric functions to determine the maximum height of their rocket.
Grade Level: K-12
Materials Included: 1 Rocket Launcher and 1 Bike Pump
Additional Materials Needed: Y, see lesson plan
Students learn about fluid dynamics as well as how valves in our bodies function. They construct a heart valve that will only allow fluids to travel in one direction.
Grade Level: 4-12
Materials Included: Testing Equipment and Sample Valves
Additional Materials Needed: Y, see lesson plan
Students learn about photovoltaic properties as they construct a solar powered car. They learn about efficiency and perpendicular angles as they try to create movement. Other alternative energy concepts can also be introduced, including fuel cells, etc.
Grade Level: 4-12
Materials Included: 10 Solar Cars and Testing Equipment
Additional Materials Needed: None
Students learn about 8 different areas of engineering as they interact with real products of engineering, including asphalt, robots, artificial heart and the world’s smallest projector.
Grade Level: K-12
Materials Included: Engineering Products
Additional Materials Needed: None
Students learn about elements used in structure design. They build a bridge and test it to see how much weight it will hold.
Grade Level: K-12
Materials Included: Testing Equipment
Additional Materials Needed: Y, see lesson plan
Students learn concepts of physics through truss design. They build structures made of structures and test the load distribution as a weighted car travels across the structure. Students can build roller coasters, bridges or anything other structure made of trusses.
Grade Level: 6-12
Materials Included: 6 Kits, enough for 30 students
Additional Materials Needed: N
Lab and Demonstration Equipment
Materials Included: 15 Hot Plates
15 Sets Include: Funnels, Copper Coil Tubes, Flasks, Beakers and Rubber Stoppers
Materials Included: Safety DVD, Generator, Discharge Electrode, Other Demonstration Activities
Building Big: Domes
Building Big: Skyscrapers
Building Big: Tunnels
Building Big: Dams
Building Big: Bridges
A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama
Nova: Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine
Pixar Short Films Collection
National Geographic: Mega Structures Vol. 1
- Mega Plane
- Inside a Super Casino
- Ekati Diamond Mine
- Super Port
- Widening the Panama Canal
- Boston’s Big Dig
- Building Hong Kong’s Airport
- Tunneling Under the Alps
- Iceland Tunnels
- Container Ships
- Oakland Bay Bridge
- Venice Flood Gates
- Bridging the Bering Strait
- Tokyo’s Sky City
- Subways in America
- Transatlantic Tunnel
Modern Marvels: Big and Small
Modern Marvels: Roller coasters: Search for the Ultimate Thrill
Modern Marvels: Super Human
Modern Marvels: The World’s Fastest
Modern Marvels: Christmas Tech
Modern Marvels: Halloween Tech
The Best of Modern Marvels Vol. 1
- Engineering Disasters
- Engineering Disasters
- Engineering Disasters
- Engineering Disasters
- Engineering Disasters
- Racetrack Tech
- The Autobahn
- The F-14
- The Manhattan Project
- D-Day Tech
- Bullets
- Space Shuttle Columbia
- ET Tech
- Rubber
- James Bond Gadgets
- Bathroom Tech
- Distillers
- Harvesting
- Candy
- The Sears Tower
- The Chrysler Building
- Twin Towers of the East
- New York Bridges
- George Washington Bridge
- Bridges
- The World’s Longest Bridge
- Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel
- Lighthouses
- Overseas Highway
- The Mackinac Bridge
- Quarries
