Eclipse Quest: A Mobile Eclipse Education Program

This April 8, 2024, many parts of the continental United States will experience a rare, once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon: a total solar eclipse — and the Science Mill in Johnson City, Texas is right in the path of totality! This means that the moon will completely block out the sun for almost 4 minutes.

To help rural students living in the eclipse path better understand the significance of the eclipse, the Science Mill, with the support of the Simons Foundation, created the Eclipse Quest, a mobile eclipse education program. This mobile program, delivered to key rural communities in central Texas, is a gamified, educational experience that walks students through different aspects of the solar eclipse, including its causes, effects, and cultural significance. From assembling their own solar viewing devices to exploring the properties of light and shadow, students will gain a deep understanding of the science behind this incredible celestial event.

STEM Education Specialists Shelby, Angelica, and Aileen with an Eclipse Quest table

Eclipse Quest is designed to maximize student interaction by providing each team of students with access to the four interactive components enhanced by a digital gamified experience that helps the team navigate the activity. As each one of the four activities are completed, it unlocks the code to the next activity. Some questions that get explored include:

• Why do eclipses happen so infrequently?

• What causes an eclipse?

• Who in history was first to make sense of the Earth-moon-sun relationship?

These and other questions are explored as teams of students examine clues, solve mathematical problems, and use critical thinking to complete all stages and unlock the mystery of our solar system!

For continued learning and engagement, each participating student also receives a take-home kit that contains an informative activity booklet and a pair of eclipse glasses. They also get the Science Mill’s unique build-your-own cardboard orrery kits that illustrate how the Sun, Moon, and Earth move to create eclipses.

Excited to learn more about the eclipse? Come watch the eclipse with us on April 8!

Aside from a great view, there will be special eclipse-themed floor activities to enhance your experience. Each eclipse day pass includes admission for 4, 4 pairs of eclipse glasses, and a reserved parking slot in our west parking lot. Limited slots only! No walk-ins will be allowed. See you there!

What is the Engineering Design Process?

What do a rollercoaster, artificial heart valves, and the Dragonfly rotorcraft have in common?

They’re all feats of engineering that used the same creative process to solve problems! This process, called the Engineering Design Process, is a problem-solving approach used by real engineers that anyone can learn and use in their lives.

Dragonfly is a rotorcraft that has been specially designed by NASA for flight on one of Saturn’s moons, Titan. The Dragonfly mission is a part of NASA’s search for habitable planets and moons within our solar system.

What is the Engineering Design Process?

At its core, the Engineering Design Process is creative and follows these steps:

• Ask what problem you are trying to solve or what you are trying to create.

  • Imagineers at Disney World have meetings with peers to work out what they can do to create a brand-new roller coaster that is safer and more fun!

• Imagine possible solutions to the problem.

  • During their meetings, they look at what people liked about past roller coasters while also thinking about ideas that haven’t been used yet.

• Plan and design your solution.

  • The Imagineers decide which ideas to use in their design and create drawings or computer aided design (CAD) models.

• Create a prototype, a model meant for testing your design, of that idea.

  • A team of Imagineers and workers build the prototype of their roller coaster. Before building a full-size model, it is common for people to build their designs on a smaller scale.

• Test the prototype. How did it perform?

  • Imagineers test their roller coaster with crash test dummies or mannequins several times so that they can be certain that their ride is safe for people to enjoy.

• Improve the prototype based on the results of testing.

  • Did a critical part of the design break? Did a safe roller coaster fail to “wow” the riders? Different types of feedback are taken as points to improve upon.

• Return to steps 2 and 3. Repeat the process until you have refined your solution and it is ready to be shared with others!

How do real engineers use the Engineering Design Process?

All engineers use their own version of the process to accomplish their goals and solve problems within their unique fields. Often your first prototype isn’t able to solve the problem that you need to solve, so you return to steps 2 and 3 to refine your ideas and make progress on the solution to your identified problem.

Here’s a real-life example! Justice Darby is a mechanical engineering student at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. Once he graduates, his goal is to work for NASA at Marshall Spaceflight Center working in the field of theoretical propulsion systems that will benefit space missions, especially those supporting a manned mission to Mars. He is active in the University of Alaska’s rocketry club, which is designing a liquid rocket engine. While designing the club’s rocket engine from scratch, everyone has been exploring solutions and planning how to apply them to the prototype. As students, they are using this project to fill gaps in their knowledge and prepare for careers in aerospace!

So far, Justice and his peers have created and tested one prototype of the combustion chamber. The results from the test helped them make improvements, such as what the best placement for the fuel and other combustible materials would be. Making improvements requires that they return to step 2, imagine, to explore solutions to newly identified points for improvement. They perform this process until the team is satisfied that their objective has been achieved.

This is an early model of the combustion chamber that Justice worked on. Engineers often draw their ideas or create them in computer aided design (CAD) softwares before building them.

I’m interested in engineering, what skills do I need to become an engineer?

According to the engineers that were asked, there are three skills vital to engineering.

The first skill is working with the mindset that challenges are the beginning of improvement. Challenges do not mark the end of an idea that you have.

Building from that, engineers need to be able to learn from their mistakes. If your prototype did not meet the needs of your project, you can still learn from what did and didn’t happen during your testing and use that to improve your next attempt.

Finally, engineers need to know how to work with others. Engineers rarely work alone, and they face all of the challenges that come with the group projects that are more commonly associated with other careers!

Some other important skills include learning how to prioritize needs and wants within the scope of your project, learning how to sell your ideas to those with the ability to grant you additional resources, and learning how to put a project down when you’ve been working on it for a long time and haven’t been able to come to a solution. It will still be there after you take a break!

How do I get started?

Now that you know what the engineering design process is, think back to a time you tried to fix a problem or make something better. Maybe you had a toy you wanted to make more fun, or a chore you wanted to make easier.

Now, try it again and think about something in your life that could be made better. Start by making a plan, then think about what you want to change and how you want to do it. Then, try your plan on a small scale and see how it goes. Take note of what works and what doesn’t. Maybe you’ll need to make changes along the way–and that’s okay! That’s the process.

When you’ve fixed the problem or made things better, you’ve done what engineers do!

Excited to learn more about engineering? Join us for Engineering Weekend from February 17-19. There will be tons of exciting hands-on activities designed to unleash the inner inventor in you!

What is a snowflake?

What do you think of when you hear the word snowflake? What usually comes to mind are the tiny six-sided little works of art. But did you know that snowflakes are actually made of multiple snow crystals? And not all snow crystals are alike! Scientists use the word snowflakes to describe the fluffy bunches of snow crystals.

How does a snow crystal begin to form?

A snow crystal begins its formation in the clouds as water in the form of gas called water vapor. That water vapor will then attach and freeze onto tiny dust particles or pollen in the air to create seed crystals. These seed crystals will bump into water molecules in the clouds and eventually will form into a six-pointed shape called a hexagon, which is the basic shape of a snow crystal. As the seed crystal continues to move around in the clouds, it bumps into more water molecules. These water molecules attach themselves to each of the six points on the hexagonal shape forming the arms or branches of the snow crystals.

Why are no two snow crystals alike?

The shape of snow crystals depends on two factors; temperature and how much water is in the air. The colder the temperature is, the pointier and more complex the arm formations. Warmer the temperature and less water in the air will result in a snow crystal with smaller and fewer arms. The snow crystals will continue to change their shape as they fall from the clouds. The amount of water in the air, the temperature, and the wind that passes through will continue to change the formation of the snow crystals. As they follow their unique paths down to the ground, these factors will continue to reshape each of the snow crystals giving each their own distinct designs.

Snowflakes under the microscope Source

To learn more about snow, come visit the Science Mill to see some hands-on demonstrations and activities during our Snow Day on January 20, 2024!

Resources

• Where Do Snowflakes Come From? | Weather Science | SciShow Kids

• Snowflake Science - SnowCrystals.com

• Science of Snow

What to buy your kids for the holidays: 2023 Science Store gift guide

It can be challenging to find thoughtful presents for your loved ones this holiday season....thankfully, the Science Mill Science Store is full of fun STEM goodies for your kids, nephews & nieces, and even the inner child in you! Here are some ideas, which also makes for a great excuse to visit the Science Mill this month (or shop online!):

For the plushie lover

Cute, soft, squishy…what’s not to like?

In-store exclusive

In-store exclusive

Axolotl Lil’ Huggy Plushie

For those who can’t resist the weird cuteness of the iconic Mexican salamander, this axolotl plushie would make a perfect gift! As an educational bonus, it can serve as a talking point for what endangered animals like axolotls are.

sand animals

This classic, sand-filled toy makes for a versatile holiday present. Suitable for reptile lovers or as a stress-relief toy for kids or adults, this sand animal comes in four different, shimmery reptiles. They also make for a great display when collected as a set!

For the tinkerer

Available online and in-store

In-store exclusive

Stitch-A-Circuit Robot

Discover the joy of science with this electrifying game! Stitch your robot together with the conductive thread provided, which carries an electric charge that will cause your robot to light up and play different sounds when fully stitched.

For ages 8 and up.

Eco-Tech Bulb

Power up this overhead lamp with gravity to light up your surroundings. Crank the handle to manually power the torch.

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

For the nature lover

Available online and in-store

In-store exclusive

Wood Butterfly Net

This sleek, durable, and FSC-certified wood butterfly net is a great gift for the outdoorsy kid! Its handle is detachable for easy storage and travel. It measures 9.5" x 28" when fully assembled.

Pollution and Waste book

For the eco-conscious kid, this book will make a great gift! It’s packed with scientific facts, experiments, and activities linked to pollution and waste and explains how they damage the environment. It brings a lively, hands-on approach to practical science experiments. Children can find almost everything they need for the experiments around the home. The materials and instructions are simply, safely, and clearly presented. This STEM-focused book will show readers how to test for air pollution, watch global warming at work, clean up an oil spill, and much more.

For the budding chemist

In-store exclusive

Available online and in-store

Clean Water Science: Mini Water Filtration

This Clean Water Science kit introduces kids to basic chemistry by allowing them to explore ways of reusing water. They will filter dirty water to make it clean, experiment with distillation to make clean water, and use solar energy to purify water.

Crystal Growing Kit

This all-inclusive crystal growing kit allows kids to grow their own custom-colored crystals! It includes red, blue, and white colored crystal seeding mixtures which you can mix to produce a fully-grown crystal measuring 4 cm x 5 cm (1.5" x 2"). So many different color possibilities! Kit comes with detailed instructions and a clear case for display and protection. For ages 10+.

For the brainiac

In-store exclusive

In-store exclusive

Stay Curious! A Brief History of Stephen Hawking

A role model worth looking up to! Here’s a picture-book biography about science superstar Stephen Hawking, whose visionary mind revolutionized our concept of reality and whose struggle with ALS inspired millions. Perfect for parents and teachers looking to instill curiosity and a love for STEM.

100-piece Puzzle: Upcycled Robots

Here’s a gift sure to stimulate the mind and hands of any curious kid—or adult for that matter! This 100-piece “Upcycled Robots” puzzle is thoughtfully commissioned and beautifully designed in an ideal format for transitioning from simple children’s puzzles to more challenging adult jigsaw puzzles. It offers a screen-free, relaxing way to practice patience and concentration while sharing a gentle cooperative activity with friends and family.

Ages 5+

For last-minute shopping

Nothing delivers faster than a gift card! If you’re pressed for time, why not give your loved one a gift card to the Science Mill? They can use it for admissions, membership, or Science Store purchases. Once you purchase them, your recipient instantly gets their digital gift card code in their inbox. Buy them below!