These teacher notes will guide you through the collection of resources created for space-inspired smart materials. Including:

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This resource explores the topic of thermochromic materials. It provides content to explain what they are, how they are used and suggests practical experiments that will allow students to get hands-on with the material.

Receptors under our skin send signals to our brains about the world around us. Engineers are borrowing this idea from the human body to create a ‘smart skin’ for aircraft. In this activity students learn about motes, the tiny sensors at the heart of this innovation, and how science and mathematics are central to...

This Mathematics Matters case study, produced by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, looks at how industry relies on cutting-edge mathematics to develop better quality communications. The amount of information we can transmit though the air is limited by the laws of physics, but the mathematics of...

The Department of Education resource Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning Secondary SEAL – A Quick Guide looks to define SEAL and its key elements, and well as offering a six-step approach on how to get started with SEAL.

These resources support students to gain an overview of the social, moral and cultural responsibilities of being a designer. Designing products that consider their impact on others and the environment.

This resource collection contains a classroom presentation, student worksheets and a student starter /...

This is one of a series of resources from the IET designed around the theme of the future of flight with the purpose of developing pupils knowledge and skills in design technology, engineering and mathematics. Jet engines used on aircraft produce...

The relationship between energy and states of matter is sometimes difficult for students to comprehend. This activity helps to reinforce the notion that, when energy is added to a system, the molecules themselves do not change but their motion and relative positions do change.

While the model is a...

This video looks at the structural design of the O² building in Dublin. This is a built music venue with a capacity of 14,000 people, designed to provide unrestricted views and excellent acoustics. The film shows the exciting role of acoustic engineers and explains how they developed criteria from the...

The resources in this collection use everyday contexts, such as the design of music venues and airports, to encourage students to consider how materials need be tested for their suitability for a specific job before engineers in construction projects can choose them. The tasks ask students to think about what...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), allows students to investigate the velocity of sound. Two methods, a direct method and an ICT based method, are proposed.

The activity is part...

This resource describes how students can investigate the sugars in food and drink. Background information is provided about complex and simple carbohydrates.

In the first activity, students use clinistix to test for glucose. The second worksheet describes the use of Benedict's Reagent to test for reducing...

This teaching resource is presented in four stages:

Stage One - Finding out about the problem. In stage one pupils find out more about spacesuits, how they work and why people need them to survive. They also find out more about the challenge to test a series of materials to...