ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK€¦ · Engineering a Quarantine Box. Activity. 1. In engineering, guidelines for your design . are called CRITERIA and CONSTRAINTS. • Criteria. are things

Name:

ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK Outbreak Alert!

Engineering a Pandemic Response

Outbreak Alert! © Museum of Science 3

Gather details• Learn about what others have done• Explore possible materials or processes you could use for your design• Conduct science experiments to gather data

Come up with different ways to solve the problem• Use your creativity to think of lots of ideas that could work• Evaluate the pros and cons of each idea• Pick one idea that is a good starting point

Figure out the details of your design• Discuss how it will work• Draw diagrams and list materials• Decide how you will test and evaluate

Build your design• Follow your plan• Fix small problems• Record any changes to your plan

Evaluate how well your design works• Test multiple times• Record your observations and findings• Figure out which parts are working well and which parts are not

Make changes to your design based on testing• Decide what to change• Put your changes into a new plan• Build your improved design and test again

Share your solution with others• Explain strengths and weaknesses of your solution• Share how you used the Engineering Design Process• Ask people for feedback

Understand the engineering problem• Define the problem in your own words

1Outbreak Alert! © Museum of Science

Act

ivity1Engineering a Quarantine Box

In engineering, guidelines for your design are called CRITERIA and CONSTRAINTS.

• Criteria are things you or your design needsto do.

• Constraints are ways that you or yourdesign is limited—things you cannot have ordo.

GOAL: Your goal is to engineer a quarantine box that will allow you to transfer the UV glow powder without getting exposed to the ‘virus.’

CRITERIA: CONSTRAINTS:

You will work in groups to engineer a quarantine box. You have 25 minutes to engineer.

The dangerous virus will be represented by a UV glow powder.

You cannot spill the powder in the box, touch it with your bare hands, or allow it to leave the closed environment.

The following laboratory procedure must be able to be performed in the quarantine box: open the vial and transfer all of the powder from the vial into Petri Dish A. Then, transfer half of the powder into Petri Dish B.

You have a limited set of materials: 1 cardboard box, 2 Petri dishes, 1 vial of UV powder, 1 foot of duct tape, 1 sheet of transparency, 1 sheet of construction paper, 1 craft stick, 1 straw, 2 feet of packing tape, 2 non-latex gloves, and 1 pair of scissors.

TEST: Once the laboratory procedure has been completed, the UV light will be used to check whether any powder was spilled inside the box, escaped the box, or got onto the user’s hands.


1. OUTBREAK:The disease is infecting more people than expected in one region.

2. EPIDEMIC:The disease is infecting more people than expected across a larger region.

4. PANDEMIC:The disease is spreading quickly worldwide.

3. EMERGING PANDEMIC:The disease is infecting more people than expected in multiple regions. Outbreaks may also occur overseas.

Use this scale to classify the spread of the disease.

Outbreak Meter

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93Outbreak Alert! © Museum of Science 9

VirusesA

ctiv

ity2Viruses are much smaller than bacteria, and they reproduce by inserting their DNA into the living cells of a host organism. Not all types make us sick, but some viral diseases include the common cold, influenza, chicken pox, and AIDS. Viral infections can sometimes be prevented using vaccines or treated using antivirals.

T2 viruses invading a cell

Smallpox virus

Influenza (flu) virus

Outbreak Alert! © Museum of Science4

Throwing Procedure:1. Each person will take turns throwing their virus model at the cell model. Each throw will

represent a virus attacking the cell.2. The thrower must stand about 10 feet away from the cell model and attack the cell

model with the virus model one time.3. Whenever the virus hits any part of the cell model, this will count as an attack. If the

virus model misses the cell model, then it is not considered an attack.4. After the attack, check to see if the virus model attached to the cell model. If the model

attaches, it will count as an infection.5. Carefully observe what parts of the virus model attaches to the cell model. Draw/write

your observations below.

Virus Infection Rate:

Number of Infections

Total Number of Attacks%

In order to investigate the viral infection process, you will throw your virus model at the2

cell model to see how it attaches to the cell model.

Infecting the Cell

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x 100


Follow the steps below to build a model of the virus that is causing the mystery illness.

You will need:

1 plastic cup, 3 oz. 15 Velcro dots, loop side 6 strips of ribbon, 15” long

6 plastic beads scissors ruler hole punch

STEP 2: Hole punch six holes evenly spaces apart near the rim of the plastic cup.

STEP 3: Thread a strip of ribbon through each hole. Tie a double knot near the hole, leaving as much ribbon as possible dangling.

STEP 4: Thread a bead at the end of a ribbon. Stick two Velcro dots back to back at the very end of the strand, the ribbon in the middle. Repeat for remaining ribbons.

STEP 1: Put 3 Velcro dots on the top of the cup, inside of the indented region.

ribbon

ribbon

Build a Model VirusA

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2 Velcro dots

bead

Velcro dots


Throwing Procedure:1. Each person will take turns throwing their virus model at the cell model. Each throw will

represent a virus attacking the cell.2. The thrower must stand about 10 feet away from the cell model and attack the cell

model with the virus model one time.3. Whenever the virus hits any part of the cell model, this will count as an attack. If the

virus model misses the cell model, then it is not considered an attack.4. After the attack, check to see if the virus model attached to the cell model. If the model

attaches, it will count as an infection.5. Carefully observe what parts of the virus model attaches to the cell model. Draw/write

your observations below.

Virus Infection Rate:


Total Number of Attacks%

In order to learn more about the virus, you will throw your virus model at the cell model

3

to see how it attaches to the cell model.

Infecting the Cell

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ivity

x 100

7

Medicine Flowchart

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Is the illness that is spreading caused by a

virus or a type of bacteria?

How well do you understand the virus’ structure and its interaction with the cell?

virus

bacteriaYou can prescribe antibiotics to people after they are infected.

Engineering an antiviral is the best choice here. These can cure people who have already been infected. These are also most effective for viruses that change their structure often.

very well not well

Creating a vaccine to be given to people before they get infected is the best choice. This takes longer to develop but is more effective than an antiviral. It is not effective on viruses that change their structure often.

What type of medicine should we engineer?


Use the space below to plan how your group will use the materials available to engineer an antiviral to block the virus model from attaching to the cell model.

SECOND MODEL CLINICAL TRIAL, Virus Infection Rate

Engineering an AntiviralA

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5 Attacks%

5x 100

FIRST MODEL CLINICAL TRIAL, Virus Infection Rate


5 Attacks%

5x 100


Public service announcements (PSAs) are video or poster messages that are designed toraise awareness about an important issue. Usually, health PSAs are messages that try to change people’s behavior or attitudes so that people can live healthier and safer lives. Look at the examples below to help inspire ideas for your group’s PSA.

What will you include in your PSA?

Public Service Announcements

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5


Your PSA can be in the form of a 2-3 minute skit/presentation, which could air on TV as a commercial, or a color poster, which could be displayed in a public location.

What information is important to include in the PSA?

• • •

Use the space below to plan with your group. If your group decides to make a skit or presentation, write a detailed script so that everyone knows what to say. If your group decides to make a poster, draw a sketch below.

Making a PSAA

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You will need:

18 Velcro dots, loop side 6 strands of yarn, 15” long 2 plastic cups, 3oz.

6 plastic beads scissors ruler hole punch duct tape

STEP 2: Hole punch six holes evenly spaced apart near the rim of one of the plastic cups.

STEP 3: Thread a strip of yarn through each hole. Secure the yarn to the cup by tying a double knot around the rim of the cup. Leave as much yarn as possible dangling.

STEP 4: Thread a bead at the end of each strand of yarn. Stick two Velcro dots back to back at the very end of each strand with the yarn in the middle.

STEP 1: Put three Velcro dots on the top of the two cups, inside of the indented region.

STEP 5: Place the open sides of the two cups together, and tape the cups together. Make sure that as much yarn as possible is outside of the cups and tape.

Velcro dots

bead

yarn

2 Velcro dots

Virus Mutation

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Throwing Procedure:1. Groups should choose a ‘thrower.’2. Each throw will represent a mutant virus attacking a cell.3. The thrower must stand about 10 feet away from the cell model and attack the cell

model with the mutant virus model five times.4. Whenever the mutant virus hits any part of the cell model, this will count as an attack. If

the virus model misses the cell model, then it is not considered an attack.5. After each attack, check to see if the virus model attached to the cell model. If the

model attaches, it will count as an infection.6. Carefully observe what parts of the mutant virus model attaches to the cell model.

Draw/write your observations below:

Investigating Mutant Virus ModelsA

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Mutant Virus Infection Rate


5 Attacks%

5x 100


Engineering a New Antiviral

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Use the space below to plan how your group will use the materials available to engineer a new antiviral to block the mutant virus model from attaching to the cell model.

Mutant Virus Infection Rate


5 Attacks%

5x 100

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ENGINEERING NOTEBOOK€¦ · Engineering a Quarantine Box. Activity. 1. In engineering, guidelines for your design . are called CRITERIA and CONSTRAINTS. • Criteria. are things