Week 1
Lesson 1
Drought in Chad
This week is centered on the causes and effects of the severe drought in Chad, along with the world relief organizations efforts to combat starvation.  After exploring the topic, learners will design, build, and test a system to deliver aid packages to remote areas of Chad.
 Week 2
Lesson 2
Avalanche!
Each year avalanches occur in many parts of the world, and can destroy homes, villages, and take lives.  Engineers work to control this problem by building avalanche barriers in areas that experience them often.  This week's challenge it to create an avalanche model, design barriers to keep the snow from destroying a village at the bottom of the mountain, and test different angles of slope for effectiveness.
 Week 3
Lesson 3
Earthquakes!
Earthquakes happen all over the world and can destroy entire cities.  In this challenge, we will look at the causes and effects of earthquakes.  Acting as civil engineers, we will construct a building that can withstand the power of different magnitudes of earthquakes and test it on an "earthquake table" constructed  from cardboard, tennis balls, and rubber bands.
 Week 4
Lesson 4
Wind Power
It is critical that populations reduce their carbon footprints by moving from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources.  One of this is the use of wind turbines.  However, many people don't want wind turbines in their areas because they are an eyesore. The challenge is to design a working wind turbine (powered by a fan) that is also a pleasing kinetic sculpture.
 Week 5
Lesson 5
Clean Water for All
Many people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water, either because of drought conditions, pollution, or lack of treatment plants.  Humanitarian organizations work to provide water filters to remote areas so that people have clean water to use.  After learning about the common causes of water pollution, students will design and build a working water filter from common household materials, then test it to find out how many impurities they can remove from the water.
 Week 6
Lesson 6
Invasive Species
Invasive species are a huge problem in many ecosystems, disrupting the food chain and forcing native species out.  In this challenge, students are presented with the problem of the Cane Toad in Florida, which is forcing the native toad problem to dwindle.  Students will use their knowledge of simple machines to build a working trap that can humanely catch and move the Cane Toad from one location to another.