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Civil Engineering Projects, Lessons, Activities (52 results)

Civil engineering is a field for problem solvers. From setting up water systems for drinking and irrigation to major transportation systems like highways, airports, subways, and railroads, civil engineers take on big challenges. In today's world, civil engineers also face big challenges: providing the modern infrastructure for a growing human population, and finding ways to do this that are environmentally sound, safe, and cost-effective. Experience what it is like, on a smaller scale, to tackle these problems.

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Build the Best Paper Bridge
STEM Activity
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272 reviews
Bridges come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. What makes a bridge the strongest? Find out in this fun activity as you build simple bridges with paper and test to see how much weight they can hold. Read more
Tallest Paper Tower Challenge
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
In this engineering challenge, you will use limited materials to build a paper tower as tall as possible, but there's a twist! Your tower must also support a heavy weight at the top without collapsing. Looking for inspiration? You can see how other students have tackled this and other annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenges. Teachers, lesson plan versions of this challenge are also available. Read more
2026 Ball Run Challenge
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
In this engineering challenge, you will build a ball run from paper and tape, but there's a twist! You want to make your ball run as slow as possible. How long can you make it take for the ball to get from the entrance to the exit?  Read more
2022 Paper Ball Run Challenge
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
In this engineering challenge, you will build a ball run from paper and tape, but there's a twist! You want to make your ball run as slow as possible. How long can you make it take for the ball to get from the entrance to the exit? You can see how other students have tackled this and other annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenges. Read more
The Effect of Bridge Design on Weight Bearing Capacity
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Build model bridges and then deliberately destroy them? Who'd be crazy enough to try that? Read more
Popsicle Stick Trusses: What Shape is Strongest?
STEM Activity
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41 reviews
Have you ever driven across a bridge or seen a building that is under construction and noticed the large metal support beams? What about all the wooden beams in a house that is under construction? Did you notice how sometimes the beams formed different geometric shapes, like triangles or squares? In this project you will be a structural engineer and make your own “support” shapes out of popsicle sticks. What shape will be the strongest? Read more
Build an Earthquake-Resistant House
Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th
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10 reviews
Explore how technology can save lives in this fun engineering lesson plan! Earthquakes can cause devastation and loss of life when they strike, but earthquake-resistant buildings can stay standing and keep people safe. In this project, your students will build model earthquake-resistant buildings and measure their movement during a simulated earthquake using a mobile phone and a sensor app. A French translation of this activity is available. Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • MS-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
  • MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Tallest Paper Tower Challenge for Grades 6-8
Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th
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4 reviews
Teach your students about the engineering design process with this fun lesson plan. They will design and build the tallest possible tower using nothing but paper and tape, but there's an additional twist on this classic activity. The tower must support a heavy weight at the top without collapsing! Teachers, note that elementary and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. The 2021 Engineering Challenge is over, but you can still try out this fun challenge with your… Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
Build a Gumdrop Geodesic Dome
STEM Activity
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90 reviews
Have you ever seen a geodesic dome? Geodesic domes are approximately sphere-like structures made up of interconnected triangles. A famous geodesic dome is Spaceship Earth at EPCOT in Walt Disney World, Florida, but geodesic domes are also commonly found as climbing domes at playgrounds. In this science activity, you will get to build a simple geodesic dome using gumdrops and toothpicks. Once it is built, you may be surprised by how strong it is! Get ready to do some tasty engineering! Read more
Building the Tallest Tower
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Skyscrapers are impressive structures. What does it take to design a building so tall? Engineers use strong materials and innovative design to push the limits of gravity. They use special tables to simulate earthquakes and test models of their buildings. In this project, you will build your own earthquake table and see how tall you can make a tower out of LEGO® bricks. You can even measure how hard your earthquake table shakes using the accelerometer of your smartphone and a sensor app. Read more
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