October 2, 2024 - Emily Wilson is a 6th-grade science teacher at Sale Creek Middle/High School. This year, she introduced a fun design challenge to her students. The challenge was to create a container that could keep an ice cube cold, similar to a container used for organ donations.
Her class is learning about energy and heat transfer, using real-life examples of how organs are transported. They watched a video about organ transportation and asked questions about the process, which they answered as they learned more throughout this project.
For the design challenge, each student pair had a budget of one dollar to create their container. They could use materials like aluminum foil, cups, cotton balls, and paint. The rules were strict: they could only spend one dollar, the temperature change couldn’t be more than two degrees, and they could only use five materials, with each item having to serve a purpose. If they went over budget, they lost points.
The students worked in pairs, going through the steps of planning, testing, and fixing their designs. They learned to manage their supplies and maximize efficiency by making the most of each item. At the end of the project, they presented their containers, talked about what they enjoyed, and shared what they learned about organ transportation. “Seeing the science come to life in their hands was truly amazing,” Emily said.
Emily was also impressed by how determined her students were during the project. Even when she wasn’t right there to help, they found solutions on their own. “They did the right thing even without constant supervision,” she said proudly.
At the end of the project, teachers, students, and parents came together to watch the presentations. There wasn’t a “winner” announced; instead, the focus was on whether each group met the project’s criteria.