General

Adventure Engineering was created in 1998, and with financial assistance from the National Science Foundation, was introduced in Oklahoma City area public schools, where it continues today. Adventure Engineering was integrated into numerous Denver area public schools beginning in 2003. Today, Adventure Engineering units are used in classrooms all over the U.S. The program's home is in Golden, Colorado at Colorado School of Mines.

Our Mission

Our mission is very simple: to help improve elementary, middle and high school student attitudes towards and competency in science, math and engineering by developing and offering fun, effective team-oriented project-based curricula. It is our hope that Adventure Engineering curricula inspires and builds confidence in students who wouldn't otherwise pursue science and engineering futures.

If you see ways in which we can further fulfill our mission, please let us know.

The Engineering Design Process

Engineers solve problems. Engineers use science and math as well as creativity and imagination to design things that will make life better for people. Engineers also work together to solve the problems that face society. For example, in building a computer, you need a computer engineering to design the "brain" of the computer, a mechanical engineer would help fit everything together, and an electrical engineer may design the electrical distribution for all the parts inside the computer. Click on this article's header to continue reading . . .



Just as Scientists use the scientific method or scientific inquiry to explore the unknown, Engineers use the Engineering Design Process (EDP) to solve problems. Whether developing the next mission to mars, or designing a submarine to dive to the bottom of the ocean, or creating the latest video game, Engineers use five basic steps to guide their progress.

As a teacher, you are familiar with the scientific method and scientific inquiry. This interactive guide helps you understand the EDP and how it relates to scientific inquiry. Please note that the EDP is not always a step by step process. The EDP is circular beginning with "Defining the Problem." However, Engineers often go back and forth between the five steps.

Here are some helpful links to learn more about the EDP.
http://www.micron.com/students/engineer/design.html
Wikipedia Entry on EDP

References

Adventure Engineering has proven successful in improving student attitudes towards science, math, engineering and technology, and student learning of math and science standards. To learn more about the Adventure Engineering program and the results to date, please click this article's header.

Please Note: The following files are in a PDF format. If you are connected with a dial-up connection, we recommend that you right click and select Save Target As to save them to disk due to their file size.

  1. Mooney, M.A. and Laubach, T., "Adventure Engineering: A Design Centered,
    Inquiry Based Approach to Middle Grade Science and Mathematics Education.    "
    J. Engineering Education, ASEE, 2002, 91(3), 309-318.
  2. Mooney, M.A., Nicholas, S. and Laubach, T.A. "The Development and Operation
    of Adventure Engineering, A K-12 Curriculum Development Program.    " Proc. 2002
    ASEE National Conference. CDROM, #3453, 2002.
  3. Mooney, M.A. and Laubach, T.A. "A Template for Engineering Based K-12 Math
    and Science Units.    " Proc. 2002 Frontiers in Education Conference, November
    6-9, 2002, Boston, MA.
  4. Alfaro, K., Barbosa, L., Ishola, Y., Gorman, P., Marquez, N. and Mooney,
    M.A. "Engineering Based Math and Science Curricular Units Implemented in
    4th, 5th, and 8th Grade Classrooms: A Case Study    ", Proc. 2003 ASEE National
    Conference. CDROM, #2265, 2003.
  5. "Engineering Younger Generations" Evolve Magazine, Winter 2002.

      6. Other K12 Engineering Links:

      The ASEE Engineering K12 Center
      TeachEngineering.com

The Team


Mike Mooney
Associate Professor
Division of Engineering Current Students


Bobby Rinehart
Graduate Student
Engineering Systems
Laura DeHerrera
Undergraduate Student
Metallurgical and
Materials Engineering
Jacqui Schmalzer
Undergraduate Student
Civil Engineering


Alumni Students


Chris Baker
Graduate Student
Engineering Systems
Graduated (?)
Karen Furlani
Graduate Student
Engineering Systems
Graduated 2005
Jodi Kiefer
Graduate Student
Engineering Systems
Graduated 2006

Marie Nguyen
Undergraduate Student
Chemical Engineering
Graduated 2005
Lindsey Vancleave
Undergraduate Student
Civil Engineering
Graduated 2005
Rita Yakupova
Undergraduate Student
Chemical Engineering
Graduated 2005