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A goal of engineering and architecture bachelor and master's programs is to provide students with practical and technical preparation in the mechanical characterization of materials and structures: future architects and civil engineers should be able to recognize and describe different construction materials and their behavior when used for building particular types of structures in relation with stability and safety. Effective teaching for this topic requires not only theory--physical laws that describe the behavior of structures and materials (e.g., steel or concrete, beams or slabs)--but also direct experience, in order to see the effects of forces and to observe the different tests required for certification. This article discusses the online multimedia support developed by TEMAS (experimental TEchniques on MAterials and Structures) in order to tackle these issues. The goal is to allow students to see--not only to read about--materials and structures in order to generate an experience that can pinpoint the acquisition of particular and applicative concepts. (Contains 6 figures.)

As a result of their own sometimes frustrating educational experiences, and a growing discontent with their current teaching methods, the authors, in conjunction with another instructor, decided to try an experiment. With the goal of enhancing visualization and understanding, the instructors created several multi-path educational paths for the reinforced concrete class. These alternative paths or "roads" included electronic visits to the site of the construction of a concrete frame building, homework assignments based on the various building components, discussions with the project manager, and a "hands on" public service project. This paper details the traditional and multi-path educational delivery models in a concrete course, resources required to "construct" more roads to knowledge, the results of a short survey of student reaction, and a synopsis of faculty comments on the effectiveness of the effort. (Contains 6 figures.)

This study examines teacher-student interactions and selected student gender differences with volunteer boys and recruited girls in a technology class. The participants were teachers and triads of girls and boys in single-gender sections of a technology course where the students built, designed features for, and programmed Lego robots. We analyzed transcripts of videotapes of instruction; teacher, parent, and student interviews; student questionnaires; and final programs. Girls and boys differed in a number of ways, and teachers explained their differing interactions with boys and girls as functional responses to those differences. At the end of the course, volunteer boys and recruited girls did not differ in achievement or interest in the course. (Contains 5 tables.)

Many schools are almost entirely reliant on alarms and sprinklers for their fire protection. As these devices need to be triggered and supplied with power or water to work properly, they are vulnerable to errors. To provide adequate safety, a good fire-protection program must have three primary elements: fire protection and suppression, and compartmentalization. Compartmentalization is the process of dividing a building into smaller units using fire-resistant construction materials. One important material in compartmentalization is fire-rated glass, which can be found in doors, sidelites, transoms, or windows. This article describes how the incorporation of fire-rated glass and the principles of compartmentalization can help education institutions provide more comprehensive fire protection.

In Rover's House project, students practice planning, measurement, layout, and processing skills in building a doghouse. The project is more than a doghouse--it is a learning activity that helps students develop and enhance their ability to work with reinforced concrete, steel and wood studs, trusses, roofing materials and a variety of construction processes. Students work in groups of three or four to build Rover's House. Each group will serve as a building crew and will have a group spokesperson or foreman. Each group will give their group a company name. The crew will safely use approved construction processes and materials to build a structure that meets certain specifications. Materials, objectives, limitations/requirements, and procedure of the project are presented. (Contains 12 photos, 7 figures, and 6 resources.)

This article describes the 2006 Technology Education Collegiate Association (TECA) Eastern Regional elementary competition, wherein teams of technology education students from nine different universities designed and built cardboard chairs. The competition required the teams (four or five to a team) from universities up and down the East Coast to design and produce a functional cardboard chair. The chair needed to be strong enough to support a college student and designed using basic ergonomic principles. The competitors were to explain how the five forces that affect engineered structures were considered when designing and building their chairs. The five forces are: (1) compression; (2) tension; (3) bending; (4) shear; and (5) torsion. The finished products were all very impressive. Some were designed with function as the primary goal. These chairs were very solid and structurally sound. Some were designed to be first aesthetically pleasing, and second structurally sound. Some of these chairs did not withstand the rigorous testing. All of the technology education students who participated in the competition completed their chairs and left with another way to align technology education with elementary education. (Contains 1 figure.)

Throughout history, people have moved themselves and cargo across water in boats and other types of vessels. Most vessels are developed using a technological design process, which typically involves problem solving and a series of steps. The designer documents each step to provide an accurate record of accomplishments and information to guide further decision making. The process eventually leads to designs or documentation used to direct construction of the vessel. This article presents a highly motivating boat design-and-construction activity for technology students that provides substantial science, math, communication and engineering experience. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

In this article, the author gives basic information on constructing a wind tunnel that teachers can use for instructional activities with their students for many years to come. He illustrates and describes the procedure and materials that he developed in constructing his own wind tunnel. This information should be viewed as a guide. (Contains 1 figure and 18 online resources.)

In this article, the author presents an overview of concrete as a building material and as an example of a particle composite, and discusses the origins of concrete in ancient Rome. He then describes an activity in which students can cast a concrete patio stone. Students can apply the technological design process, as well as the elements of graphic design, to produce a mosaic pattern on their patio stones in this take-home project. (Contains 3 figures.) ["Patio Stone Project Gives Students a Concrete Learning Experience" was written with Bryan Weber.]

How much does a school cost? It's a straightforward question, but the answer for many education administrators is a frustrating, "It depends." The cost of a school facility surely includes what an education institution pays for the building site, design plans, construction materials, workers who assemble the building, and furniture and equipment that fill the classrooms and other spaces. This article discusses why schools and universities that weigh the life-cycle costs of a building and its components are likely to come to different conclusions about how a project budget is allocated and which materials are used. This article talks about the importance of taking the time to incorporate sustainable strategies early in the planning process and making clear the long term benefits to the school in order to pursue a successful sustainable-design project.

The use of case studies to teach materials science undergraduates is an exciting and interesting educational approach. As well as helping learners to connect theory and practice, the case method is also useful for creating an active learning environment, developing key skills and catering for a range of different learning styles. This paper explores the case-based approach and gives details of how they have been integrated into a number of degrees in the Metallurgy and Materials Department at the University of Birmingham. The evaluation of the case studies is also discussed along with the consequent actions and development. (Contains 3 tables.)

In the world of project execution, "design/build" is the convention. With its emphasis on the benefits of early involvement (integration of design, engineering execution, design-build, procurement, and construction decisions), it has become the dominant mode (Rothman, 2004). In this project, students explore the design/build principle of collaboration and integrated processes. What makes this project unique to other design and construction projects is the emphasis on materials (their visual, tactile, and functional properties) and scale for thinking and decision making. This helps students grasp and understand the basic foundations involved in design/ construction/engineering. It places the consideration of materials at the beginning of the design/build process, not at the end. The unique and particular physical qualities of materials should be utilized as the source of subsequent design thinking and construction decisions. Materials should be seen as design generators--fertile ground for imaginative exploration and discovery. For this project, it is important to have access to large material samples for study and with which to build.

Laval University is launching a series of major development projects aimed at meeting the needs of an institution that currently offers over 350 academic programmes to more than 36,000 students. This article will focus on three of the most important construction projects that are already under way or about to start: the Wood Processing Centre, the Optics, Photonics and Laser Centre, and Ferdinand-Vandry Hall. A brief history of the Laval University campus is provided at the end of this article.

This paper describes the use of undergraduate materials multidisciplinary research projects as a means of addressing the growing industrial demand for graduates experienced in working in multidisciplinary teams. It includes a detailed description of a project in which a multidisciplinary team of chemical engineering and civil engineering students analyzed the influence of epoxy selection and fireproofing on polymeric fiber-wrapped concrete members exposed to various heating cycles. Student activities included: identifying potential safety hazards, developing a detailed literature review, formulating a budget, planning and scheduling a year-long project, casting and wrapping concrete cylinders, designing the experimental plan, failure testing each cylinder, performing data analysis and developing conclusions regarding the processing variables. By combining their unique knowledge and abilities, the multidisciplinary team was able to resolve a technical problem that neither group could have solved independently.

Flexible pavement materials exhibit complex mechanical behavior, in the sense, that they not only show stress and temperature dependency but also are sensitive to moisture conditions. This complex behavior presents a great challenge to the faculty in bringing across the level of complexity and providing the concepts needed to understand them. The interaction of these materials within a pavement system is still not understood very well. Solving complex pavement systems has always been very challenging for researchers and practitioners. The authors present a methodical way of presenting this complex subject so that the student does not get lost in the details but also gets the perspective of the process of understanding complex material and the pavement system. First, it is necessary to explain whether the individual layers in the pavement system serve their purpose, and then explain the pavement system focusing on the interaction between layers. The concept of interaction does not change if the mechanical behaviors of the individual layers are modified. Then change the properties of individual layers to realistic values, briefly explaining the test methods and illustrating with actual laboratory data. Finally a backcalculation analysis and a field visit are conducted to observe the falling weight deflectometer tests.

The research question asked was "Will those children ages three and four who have intensive play experiences in play-based preschools and who can perform at high levels of LEGO building as constructional play also show high levels of mathematical achievement later in formal school settings?". Thus, this study attempts to establish a correlation between the levels of LEGO play performance of young children and their later school (elementary, middle, and high school) achievement in mathematics. The predictor variables of levels of LEGO play, while controlling for IQ, and gender, were measured in Fall 1982 by testing a group of 3-year-old and 4-year-old preschoolers (n = 47), and later, longitudinal effects were examined after these same participants had completed high school (n = 37). The dependent or outcome variables obtained from the participants' school cumulative records included: (1) results from the California Achievement Test, (2) the grades in mathematics courses, and (3) higher mathematics courses taken in high school. LEGO performance during the preschool years and the later variables of students' letter grades, and mathematical achievement on standardized tests did not demonstrate significance at the third and fifth grade levels. At the same time no significance was found at seventh grade levels on teacher-awarded grades, but a clear significance was found for standardized testing at the seventh grade level. Also, since all other outcome variables at the middle school and high school levels such as number of mathematics classes taken, number of honors mathematics classes taken, average mathematics grades, and a combined weighted value of all mathematics courses taken were all significant, we may clearly state that there is a statistical relationship between early LEGO performance among preschool and achievement in mathematics, not seen during the elementary school years, but later developing at the middle and high school level. (Contains 4 tables.)

Discusses how gymnasiums, natatoriums, and lobbies can be notorious echo chambers, but that panels, baffles, banners, and blocks can help reduce unpleasant acoustics. (EV)

Presents comprehensive lists of educational facilities products, services, and suppliers. Includes a product index, suppliers list and directory, product showcase, and free literature information. (EV)

Presents comprehensive lists of educational facilities products, services, and suppliers. Includes a product index, suppliers list and directory, product showcase, and free literature information. (EV)

Explores the renewed attention architects and end users are giving to green design strategies from reducing energy waste to utilizing sustainable materials. Green design characteristics involving, water efficiency, reducing energy waste, indoor air quality, and use of particular environmentally responsible materials are examined. (GR)

A New Mexico foundation helps primarily Hispanic and American Indian communities restore adobe churches by supplying technical assistance and matching grants. Community leadership of the projects enhances volunteer commitment. The projects build community cohesiveness and pride, maintain local culture, foster intergenerational relations, teach technical skills and preservation trade knowledge, and stimulate others to restore their own adobe buildings. (TD)

Examines the controversial architectural technique of combining contemporary features with traditional designs at Yale University's Berkeley College, and discusses whether there is a place for this type of juxtaposition in architectural design. Photos and diagrams are included. (GR)

Discusses the innovative and whimsical use of brick and glass architectural design at the University of Cincinnati's Vontz Center for Molecular Studies. The architectural development process is described. Building diagrams and photos are included. (GR)

Presents the lessons learned when facility use and abuse, and proper planning are not adequately done in, the school design and construction process. Eleven steps for building durability into schools to decrease the effects of prolonged use and stretch a school's life expectancy are outlined. (GR)

The first two publications in this series dealt generally with school building problems in developing nations. This third part offers more direct guidance. Described in some detail are organizational fundamentals and tools that depend on universal similarities in building practice and have, therefore, been recommended for use internationally. A four-step sequence examining projects in developing countries is proposed as a way of solving problems that often arise in construction projects. The first step is the project as such--what normally is included in project administration, design, and construction--then analyzing the backgrounds: the building industry of which the project is a part, then the national scene on which the project itself as well as the building industry has to play its role, and last the international surroundings and relationships that may influence the project. Using building methods and materials that generate development of the domestic building industry is stressed as a responsibility of the implementor and the organizational consequences of this responsibility are described. (Author/MLF)

Development is characterized by urbanization. New settlements grow either as enlargements of existing ones or as new population concentrations. Three periods may be distinguished in the growth of a settlement: (1) the wild period of first settling, (2) the consolidation period, and (3) the stabilized society. The number of school-aged children per population is greater in the wild and the consolidation periods than in the stabilized society. Therefore, the basic need for schools in the future fully developed society must be discussed while the school building program is still on paper. School planning authorities should base their decisions on (1) integrated statistics and forecasts, (2) educational output requirements, and (3) long-term economic feasibility assessments. In connection with the programming of actual schools to be built, planners must know: (1) program of requirements, (2) economic plan, and (3) plan of action. School building depends on the supply possibilities of building materials and the manufacturing of suitable components from indigenous raw materials. (Author/MLF)