Some medicines such as eye drops must be stored in a refrigerator because at higher temperatures they break down or “go off”. The student will consider how to transport medicine from a helicopter to an injured person in the rainforest. The medicine must be kept within the temperature range: 2°to 8°C. The student’s medical mission is to make a Design and make a strong and safe medical kit (3D shape, insulation container) that can keep medicines at a cool temperature, so it can be transported from the helicopter to the patient 20 minutes away.
Mission/challenge: Design and make a strong and safe medical kit (3D shape, insulation container) that can keep medicines at a cool temperature
This medical mission activity was created for Year 4 students. There are two parts to this Medical Mission activity which focuses on engineering education. Part 1 involves conceptual development (i.e. properties of 3D shapes, temperature, properties of materials) towards the engineering education activity. Part 2 involves the design, make and test components of the engineering education activity
The objective of this activity was to:
- Introduce children to aspects of materials engineering and the roles of these engineers.
- Develop students’ problem-solving skills, including applying engineering design processes.
- Describe, explore and test the properties of a range of common materials.
- Develop an appreciation of the work of materials engineers.
- Explained how engineers use biomimicry to enhance engineering design
- Design and test a strong and safe medical kit (3D shape, container) to insulate an ice cube.
The following booklets will enable you to carry out the medical mission activity in your classroom