TEACHING MATERIALS

Illumin is a student run online magazine produced and published by the Engineering Writing Program at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, dedicated to exploring the science and technology behind the things we encounter every day. This special issue highlights USC Viterbi's STEM Spotlight on the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

Lesson Plans:

• Build the “FPG9,” a simple and very successful activity from the Alcoa Foundation and Academy of Model Aeronautics. Full instructions on building a model airplane from a foam picnic place, with teaching ideas and a video to show students.
• From PBS, a lesson on kinetic and potential energy (grades 9-12) plus an interactive lesson on energy in a roller coaster ride, a lesson on mechanical properties using chocoalate bars (grades 6-8).Free download on iTunes, KQED and Stanford University created two interactive books and an accompanying iTunes U course -- Energy: The Basics.
• National Science Teachers Association statement on the value of learning about aerospace engineering.

Studying and working in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering:

• What Is A Mechanical Engineer? From the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
• The school and career path toward mechanical engineering from TryEngineering.org.
• Learn more about aerospace engineering from TryEngineering.org, with links to study and career path information.
• "What is Mechanical Engineering?"Interview with a mechanical engineer from Science360.
• Interesting, short video about the research and impact of engineering research on fluids at the Nanoscale from MIT Mechanical Engineering.
• From a partnership between MIT's K-12 and the Khan Academy, here's an explanation of the forces of an airplane.
• USC Viterbi’s Freshman Academies class taught by Professor Steve Bucher created three activity based lessons teaching principles of aerodynamics.

Interactive Simulations on Key Science Concepts:

• Forces and Motion (Newton's First Law)
• Fluid Pressure and Flow
• Energy Skate Park

Additional Videos on Aerospace Research

• How aerospace engineers funded by the National Science Foundation study fish locomotion.
• Micro-robots smaller than a penny in engineering research funded by the National Science Foundation.

Videos about the Professors in the USC Viterbi Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

(These links are also on the "Inside our Labs' Pages)

• Professor Veronica Eliasson, Shock Waves and Dynamic Impact
• Professor Nestor Perez-Arancibia talks about his career path.