Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science Simulations

Explore our collection of interactive Engineering and Technology simulations aligned to NGSS High School Performance Expectations.

Simulations aligned with NGSS Performance Expectations:

HS-ETS1-1

Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

• City Water Infrastructure Simulation - An interactive simulation challenging students to act as city planners facing a growing population and water crisis. Define constraints (budget, environmental impact) and criteria (target capacity), and then manage infrastructure projects to balance societal needs over time.

  City Water Infrastructure Simulation Resources & Implementation

HS-ETS1-2

Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

• Electric Vehicle Design and Optimization - An interactive simulation allowing users to optimize EV parameters (battery capacity, aerodynamics, mass, speed) to maximize range and efficiency. Aligns with NGSS HS-ETS1 Engineering Design standards. Contains data logging and export for student inquiry and analysis.

  Electric Vehicle Design and Optimization Resources & Implementation

HS-ETS1-3

Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

• Coastal Resilience: Mangroves vs. Seawalls - An interactive engineering design simulation exploring coastal resilience strategies against storm surges in Puerto Rico, comparing the tradeoffs between mangrove restoration and concrete seawalls.

  Evaluation: Engineering Design | 5/5 Stars

  ### Overview This interactive simulation allows students to act as coastal planners in Puerto Rico. They are tasked with balancing a budget to build concrete seawalls or restore mangrove forests to defend a coastal town against hurricane storm surges. The simulation dynamically tracks storm resilience, cumulative infrastructure damage, and an ecological biodiversity index over time. ### Dimensional Evaluation & Evidence Statements * **Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs):** * *Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions:* Students actively design and evaluate solutions to a complex real-world problem (coastal flooding). They must weigh prioritized criteria (budget, wave dissipation) and trade-offs (immediate seawall defense vs. delayed but ecologically beneficial mangrove growth). * *Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking:* Students track numerical metrics (budget in dollars, resilience percentage, and biodiversity index) to understand the efficacy of their design choices over simulated years. * **Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs):** * *ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions:* The simulation requires students to evaluate competing solutions based on constraints (cost) and criteria (safety, environmental impact). * *LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience (via HS-LS2-7 alignment):* The simulation explicitly models how human engineering choices (seawalls vs mangroves) impact the biodiversity and stability of the coastal ecosystem. * **Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs):** * *Systems and System Models:* Students interact with a model of a coastal system, observing how changes to one part (defense structures) impact the whole system (town damage, ecology) during a storm event. * *Stability and Change:* The simulation tracks the stability of the town against sudden, violent change (hurricanes) and the slow change of mangrove growth and seawall degradation. ### AI Action Items for Improvement (with explicit code directives) * **Implement localized storm damage:** Currently, storm damage hits the "town" as a global metric based on total dissipation. In `simulateStorm()`, calculate wave propagation through the grid columns so that unprotected sections of the town take specific, localized damage. * **Add sea-level rise variable:** Introduce an environmental variable in `advanceYear()` that slowly increases the `maxNeededDefense` over time, modeling climate change and forcing students to continuously upgrade their defenses. ### Implementation Checklist - [x] Simulation properly implements the engineering design loop. - [x] UI is accessible and clearly displays relevant metrics. - [x] Includes variables for both human impact (budget, damage) and ecological impact (biodiversity). - [ ] Added localized grid-based storm damage calculations. - [ ] Incorporated long-term sea-level rise dynamics.

• Wind Turbine Optimization Simulation - An engineering simulation challenging users to optimize wind turbine parameters to maximize energy output.

  Wind Turbine Optimization Simulation Resources & Implementation

• Offshore Wind Energy Optimization in New London - An engineering challenge adapted for Connecticut. Students design a wind turbine array to maximize energy conversion while navigating complex real-world constraints, such as balancing energy output against the disruption of local commercial shipping lanes, the impact on Long Island Sound bird migrations, and the visual aesthetics for coastal residents. (Also aligns with HS-PS3-3)

  Offshore Wind Energy Optimization in New London Resources & Implementation

  • Offshore Wind Energy Optimization Task (Download .md)
    • Task PreScreener (Download .md)
    • Task Screener (Download .md)

HS-ETS1-4

Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.

• Puerto Rico Resilient Microgrid Simulation - Design a resilient community microgrid to survive a multi-day grid outage during a simulated hurricane event by balancing solar generation, battery storage, and load shedding constraints.

  Puerto Rico Resilient Microgrid Simulation Resources & Implementation

• Spacecraft Reentry Optimization Simulation - An interactive simulation challenging users to design a reentry vehicle by balancing mass, shield diameter, angle, and material to survive atmospheric entry against strict Mission Briefing constraints, while reflecting on model limitations.

  Spacecraft Reentry Optimization Simulation Resources & Implementation

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