The WASP STEM packages have been designed so that teachers from different STEM areas can pick and choose sections relevant to their subject area to work on. All activities in these packages do not need to be completed to get value for them – each activity can be completed as a stand-alone or can be approached, as a team, as a larger project. The packages have potential to be extended into much longer projects to include curriculum points from different STEM subjects.
There are three student workbooks -Open, Guided and Scaffolded, that go alongside each resource; all have the same suggestions for activities, however, they have been written and edited to provide differentiated learning options to support good teaching practice. Teachers may pick and choose which versions they give which students, and may wish to edit them further to address their learning needs.
The Student Challenge
Designing earthquake resistant buildings can be lifesaving, especially for people living near tectonic boundaries. Your job is to investigate the causes of earthquakes and their effects on different ground types and building designs. You should select a particular location that you think would benefit from better earthquake engineering and design a building that would be suitable for this location.
Possible Activities
Background Research
Where in the World?
Earthquake Energy
Case Studies
Flexural Strength Testing
Modelling Liquefaction
Strength of Shapes
Protostorming
Designing and Building an Earthquake Resistant Building
Do you have students completing this STEM challenge from home or another location? Click here to download an interactive pdf version which can be completed just about anywhere.
Find out more about how earthquakes are measured here.
The Student Challenge
With populations increasing at an exponential rate and the volume of electronic devices being used in everyday lives escalating, not to mention the increased use of transport, it is vital that Australia can provide a future energy mix that supports modern lifestyles. Nuclear power is undoubtedly a means of producing vast amounts of energy with relatively low emissions and without reliance on the weather, however, one of the main issues with nuclear power is what to do with the waste. Your challenge is to investigate the issues with nuclear waste and to produce a report, which could be provided to government, outlining if and where nuclear waste could be safely buried.
Do you have students completing this STEM challenge from home or another location? Click here to download an interactive pdf version which can be completed just about anywhere.
The Student Challenge
Understanding the type and eruption history of a volcano is vital in understanding potential volcanic hazards. Volcanoes behave very differently depending on their type and location. The extent of the damage they cause will also depend on their proximity to populations. Your role is to investigate the behaviour of volcanoes and come up with an engineered solution which will help minimise the potential damage of a chosen volcano to local populations, explaining why it is a suitable solution for that area.
Do you have students completing this STEM challenge from home or another location? Click here to download an interactive pdf version which can be completed just about anywhere.
