Inside Engineering
We’re excited to bring a brand new version of Inside Engineering and Engineering Speaks, straight to you at home! We understand the need for engaging, high-quality engineering content in our community and can’t wait for you to check out the new, digital formats for these two programs.
While we unfortunately aren’t able to host lab visits on campus this year due to the ongoing pandemic, we’re delighted to bring you hands-on, engaging engineering design activities that you can do right in your own homes and classrooms. Each of these activity lessons tie in directly with NGSS standards and are inspired by Columbia Engineering research labs who have hosted visitors through our programs in the past. Check out the information sections below for more details!
Get Involved

Check out and download these activities! Materials from the previous months can be explored in the drop down tabs below.
Note: Download links are currently hosted externally at box.com.

Lesson: Lasers & Reflections
Engineering Area: Applied Physics, Grades 6-8, 9-12
Activity: Jello Waveguides, Total Internal Reflection
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Coding Holiday Messages (Binary Beads)
Engineering Area: Computer Science, Grades 6-8
Activity: Using Binary Beads to Code Holiday Messages
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Water Quality & Treatment
Engineering Area: Earth & Environmental Engineering, Grades 6-8, 9-12
Activity: Water Filtration System Design Challenge
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Oil Spill Cleanup
Engineering Area: Earth & Environmental Engineering, Grades 3-5, 6-8
Activity: Oil Spill Cleanup
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Play Dough Engineering
Engineering Area: Chemical Engineering, Grades 3-5, 6-8
Activity: Make It Stick!
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Robots vs. Machines
Engineering Area: Mechanical Engineering, Grades 6-8, 9-12
Activity: Robot Factory, Rube Goldberg Machine
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Building Robot Arms
Engineering Area: Mechanical Engineering, Grades 3-5, 6-8
Activity: Robot Arms Engineering Design Activity
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Forces, Motion, and Momentum
Engineering Area: Applied Physics, Grades 6-8
Activity: Roller Coaster Movement
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Toothpick Towers & Bridges
Engineering Area: Civil Engineering, Grades 6-8, 9-12
Activity: Building Toothpick Towers & Bridges
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Exploring Prosthetic Hands
Engineering Area: Biomedical Engineering, Grades 6-8, 9-12
Activity: Exploring Prosthetic Hands
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Nanomaterials, Light, and Wavelengths
Engineering Area: Applied Physics, Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Activity: Nanomaterials, Light, and Wavelengths
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)

Lesson: Prisms & Colors of Light
Engineering Area: Applied Physics, Grades 3-5, 6-8
Activities: Refracting to Rainbows, Diffracting Light
- Download Full Lesson Plan (.PDF with worksheets)
- Download Lesson Presentation (.PPTX)
Educators interested in signing up for weekly engineering design activity lessons and opportunities for connecting their students with virtual meetings with engineering experts will soon be able to register for the full Inside Engineering program through Explorable Places. Teachers and students that complete a series of activities will unlock opportunities to chat with engineering experts directly.
We will be adding the registration link and information soon, so stay tuned!
Email [email protected] with any questions.
We’d love to hear from you and have you involved! Interested in sharing samples of your work from these activities? Have a suggestion for an activity or have one to share? Fill out our form to contribute your ideas! Click here for the form.
You can also reach out to us by email at: [email protected].