How do cross-bracing, geometry, and base isolation help buildings withstand earthquakes? These important structural design features involve fundamental geometry that elementary school students can readily model and understand. The problem activity, Designing an Earthquake-Resistant Building, was undertaken by several classes of sixth-grade students (10–11-year-olds) toward the end of a three-year STEM education program that began when they were in grade 4. Students learned about engineers, how they improve society, and how design processes help solve engineering-based problems.
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