Class: Science 8
Grade: 8th Grade
Teacher: Kevin Rohn

For the Wind Turbine Blade Design Challenge in 8th Grade science, students formed teams and spent two weeks on the Design Level trying to make the most powerful wind turbine blades. They created prototypes and tested them on the class wind turbines to see how much energy they could produce.

This project encouraged students to iterate on their designs to improve their electrical output while building engineering and problem-solving skills. — Kevin Rohn, science teacher

Groups explored the effects of the blade angles, shapes, materials, etc. Many groups made powerful use of design tools, such as the laser cutter, to make specific and precise blade shapes from cardboard and plywood.

All this testing, iterating, and refining culminated in a competition between each group’s final design. Groups who produced the most energy in their class had their names engraved on our Wind Turbine Blade Design Challenge Champions Wood Plaque to memorialize their achievement and inspire future learners.

Students then reflected on their iterative process by creating a timeline of their steps, including how they learned from both successful and unsuccessful designs. This project concluded with presentations of each group’s process timeline to the class.