A pragmatic way to teach science
Eleven-year-old Juan Nazario had a problem. He had to create a device that moved a potato six feet while using the least amount of force possible. To make matters worse, Vikki Irving-Kent, the “owner” of the mythical potato chip factory for which Nazario worked, hovered nearby and kept tabs on his progress. Fortunately, Nazario had Jorge Pozo and Anindita Basu, scientists from Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), on hand to help. Nazario and Irving-Kent, who in real life is Nazario’s science teacher, were playing out an engineering scenario to help fifth graders learn basic engineering concepts involving simple machines. To move his potato, Nazario used a wheel and axle, an inclined plane, and a pulley, trying out four designs over the last six weeks. On Saturday, he and about 60 other fifth graders who have designed similar machines will be at Harvard with their parents to demonstrate what they’ve learned...