Larissa Nietner

    Larissa Nietner

    Friday, 08 December 2017 18:22

    Invent and Make a Personal Safety Device

    Summary:

    Students identify and address a relevant need with impactful technology. They design and develop a personal safety device for themselves or others.

    Objective:

    • Students will be able to:
    • Identify user needs and translate them into design needs
    • Use and understand the design process
    • Design a device with both hardware and software
    • Choose methods for processing data, e.g. motion
    • Iterate and improve design solutions
    • Improve problem-solving and communication skills

    Required Prior Knowledge:

    Basic familiarity with the engineering design process is of help but not required.

    Friday, 08 December 2017 06:19

    Help Fight Malaria With A Better Thermometer

    Summary:

    Students create a simple thermometer and learn about diseases that show symptoms of elevated body temperature.

    Objective:

    • Students will be able to:
    • Apply the engineering design process
    • Evaluate user needs
    • Implement a program to process sensor data
    • Design a user interface (UI)
    • Design a device with both hardware and software
    • Choose methods for processing data
    • Iterate and improve design solutions
    • Improve problem-solving and communication skills

    Required Prior Knowledge:

    No prior knowledge required.

    Wednesday, 06 December 2017 09:17

    A Digital Test-Your-Strength Carnival Machine

    Summary:

    Students create their own digital version of a test-your-strength game, known as carnival hammer game or high striker. They use motion (acceleration) sensors to measure force and understand the underlying physical principles.

    Objective:

    • Students will be able to:
    • Understand how acceleration relates to force
    • Implement a program to process sensor data
    • Design an engaging user interface (UI)
    • Design a device with both hardware and software
    • Choose methods for processing data
    • Iterate and improve design solutions
    • Improve problem-solving and communication skills

    Required Prior Knowledge:

    Familiarity with the concept of acceleration is helpful.

    Summary:

    Students create a heart-rate monitor that they can wear during different activities. They use the device they created to conduct experiments and learn about their coronary system. 

    Objective:

    • Students will be able to:
    • Understand how heart rate relates to physical activity
    • Conduct experimental research
    • Develop tools for scientific investigation 
    • Practice the engineering design process
    • Understand how pulse measurements are taken by wearable devices, e.g. Apple Watch or Fitbit
    • Design a device with hardware and software
    • Use methods for processing data

    Required Prior Knowledge:

    Familiarity with technology is of help.

    Saturday, 25 November 2017 22:21

    Design and Engineer Your Own Wearable

    Summary:

    Students practice the engineering design process to address a relevant need in their social environment with impactful technology. Students identify a need and derive appropriate design criteria to inform their design. 

    Objective:

    • Students will be able to:
    • Identify user needs and translate them into design needs
    • Use and understand the design process
    • Design a device with both hardware and software
    • Choose methods for processing data, e.g. count steps
    • Iterate and improve design solutions
    • Improve problem-solving and communication skills

    Required Prior Knowledge:

    Basic familiarity with the engineering design process is of help but not required.

    History offers a few "great" examples of products that were built for the people who designed them and failed to address needs of other groups of the population. The history of he airbag is a popular one, as well as the history of speech recognition. And even safety belts are worth mentioning here.

    Sunday, 26 November 2017 09:13

    What Drives My Work At STEMgem? My Story

    Why STEMgem? To explain STEMgem's purpose and vision, let me start with my own story.

    Sunday, 26 November 2017 14:12

    Praise Effort, Not Smarts - Growth Mindset

    The terms "fixed mindset" and "growth mindset" were first introduced by Professor Carol Dweck. Simply put, students with a fixed mindset are more afraid to fail since they perceive their skills as something "absolute". This makes failure practically unbearable, especially in social situations like in a classroom. Students with a growth mindset see failure as a growth opportunity.

    Sunday, 26 November 2017 14:11

    Quick Guide to Intrinsic Motivation

    Learning is not merely the convection of content, but it also entails a shift in mindset. Learning is only possible with engagement, motivation, and an open mind. Motivational dimensions like contextualization and autonomy dramatically increase students’ engagement, content retention, amount of learning per time, and levels of aspiration. Motivation is deeply linked to one’s desire to learn and one’s ability to learn (read more from Wentzel & Miele). Motivation is part of learning. Given that STEM resources have been available equally for boys and girls for some time, while participation still differs, an unintentional imbalance in appealing to learners’ motivations may be the main barrier to equality in STEM education.

    Be the first to get yours.
    © STEMgem