STEAM Lab

Working in collaborative teams, students use an empathy-driven design process to understand the needs of individuals with diverse needs. Students develop design solutions through engineering drawings, 3D CAD models, and physical prototypes. Along the way, they will learn about careers and explore interdisciplinary connections to the other STEAM subjects.

Throughout the unit, students will learn about programming for the physical world by blending hardware design and software development, allowing students to discover computer science concepts and skills by creating personally relevant, tangible, and shareable projects.

Students learn about the history and impact of automation and robotics as they explore mechanical systems, energy transfer, machine automation, and computer control systems. Using the VEX Robotics® platform, students apply what they know to design and program traffic lights, robotic arms, and more.

Students are challenged to think big and toward the future as they explore sustainable solutions to our energy needs and investigate the impact of energy on our lives and the world. They design and model alternative energy sources and evaluate options for reducing energy consumption. During the last several weeks of this course, students revisit what they learned in other PLTW courses through a capstone project of their choice. This will allow students to discover science, technology, engineering, and art concepts and skills by creating personally relevant and tangible projects.