Engineering
Lonnie Johnson Coloring Page
Dr. Lonnie Johnson is a mechanical and nuclear engineer. After graduate school, he joined the US Air Force, and later worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Johnson won multiple awards in spacecraft system design, and contributed to the Galileo mission to Jupiter and the Mars Observer projects. His most famous invention was the Super…
Read MoreFilter Smoke with Duct Fan Bin
Smoke from wildfires and dust in the air can make it difficult to breathe sometimes. If you live in a place with lots of particulates (small pieces of matter like smoke, ash, dust, pollen) in the air, you might want a way to remove some of those things from your home. Earlier this week, Ash…
Read MoreBox Fan Filter Instructions
Why Filter the Air? ScienceWorks is located in Oregon, where we are having some wildfires right now. There is quite a bit of smoke, dust, and soot in the air. Due to the high levels of particulates (small pieces of solids in the atmosphere) outdoors, most people are trying to stay inside. Breathing too many…
Read MoreTurn Your Room Into a Camera Obscura
What is a camera obscura? While it might have “camera” in its name, a camera obscura is actually more like a projector. It is a device used by using a dark room or box and adding a small hole in one wall which will let light in. The light that travels through the aperture (the…
Read MoreMars 2020 Video Series
Welcome, Mars fans! Later this summer, NASA will launch the Mars Rover Perseverance. Since ancient times, humans have been fascinated with Mars. It has earned the nickname of The Red Planet, and has been the setting for countless science fiction stories. Why Explore Mars? Mars is thought to be the most Earth-like planet in our…
Read MoreEngineering: Spotlight on Willie Klassen
Engineers design and make many of the objects around us. Willie Klassen is an engineer who works at Schilling Robotics. Learn more about how Willie became an engineer, some of his favorite things about engineering, and what you can do if you are interested in a career in engineering. Underwater Robotic Submarines Willie helps build…
Read MoreMae Jemison Featured Scientist
Meet Mae Jemison Mae Jemison is today’s featured scientist in the spotlight. Mae Jemison was born in Alabama in 1956, and grew up in Illinois. She became interested in science as a young student, and excelled in school. She started college when she was just 16 years old, and earned degrees in chemical engineering and…
Read MoreBuild a Diddley-Bow Stringed Musical Instrument
DIY Diddley-Bow Objective: To build a basic diddley-bow in this do it yourself activity. The diddley-bow is an instrument much older than a viol, harp, or lute- it is a modification of a stringed instrument from West Africa. Difficulty Level: Easy (8-14 year olds) Easy with help (6-8 year olds) Kids younger than 6 can…
Read MoreSpace Station Docking Simulator
Launching astronauts into space is just part of a mission. One of the most important parts involves docking with the International Space Station (ISS). In celebration of the NASA SpaceX Demo-2 space mission, ScienceWorks has produced a docking simulator that lets users pilot a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and attempt to dock with the ISS in…
Read MoreDIY Spectroscope
Objective: Would you like to hold a rainbow in your hand? With a spectroscope, you can! You can make this device from simple materials you have at home. Then you can use it to learn more about light emitted around you. Difficulty Level: Easy (ages 8-14)/Easy with help (ages 3-8) Safety Note: Never look directly…
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