STEMvisions Blog

How much water did you use today? Did you take a shower, flush a toilet, wash dishes, or put on clean clothes? Did you have any problems getting the water you used? Half of the people living in the world today have limited access to water for at least one month of the year. And 500 million people don’t have enough water all year. Meghalaya, India, is one place that suffers from water scarcity. But thanks to a new technology, some people living in Meghalaya can now trade resources they have, such as cow manure and rice husks, for freshwater.

A dishwasher uses between 5 and 15 gallons of water per use. SbytovaMN/iStock/Getty Images Plus

With the recent release of Tami's Tower: Let's Think About Engineering, the SSEC wanted to take a look back at our inspirations. Those inspirations were the two-dimensional, physics-based videogames that helped generations of learners visualize gravity, Newton’s laws of motion, simple machines, structural stability, and numerous other physics principles. With such great influences, it’s no wonder Tami’s Tower has received an outstanding reception!

Tami's Tower: Let's Think About Engineering, a new engineering design game from the Smithsonian Science Education Center.

Smithsonian Secretary’s Youth Advisory Council

From July 29-August 3, 2018, I had the opportunity, along with 22 other teachers from around the country, to get close up and personal with rocks on a once in a lifetime adventure thanks to the Smithsonian Institution and The Dow Chemical Company! Starting from the evening of July 29^th, I knew that I was going to experience an educational journey that would expand my knowledge and curiosity. We started the week with a dinner and overview of what to expect during the week. After going over the agenda, I knew that I was glad that I brought good walking shoes.

When I attended SSEAT Energy's Innovations and Implications in 2018, I was a 4th grade teacher looking to deepen my own knowledge so I could better help my students understand the complex and abstract issues involving energy. It can be seriously hard to get a 9 year old to care about energy consumption! I came home from Washington, DC, with a renewed passion for my job, and I will forever consider it a life-changing event. I do not know how a teacher could experience what we did at SSEAT and not be changed, for the better, FOREVER!