Build Your Own Insect Trap
Students design and construct devices to trap insects that are present in the area around the school. The objective is to ask the right design questions and conduct the right tests to determine if the traps work .
An example of a student made insect trapCopyright Sujaya Rao, K-12 Rural Science Education Program, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Oregon State University
Engineers are well known for designing and building large structures such as bridges, tunnels and skyscrapers. But they also must be skilled at designing things at a much smaller scale. These smaller designs are just as difficult to figure out. They require a choice of materials, a physical layout, a good grasp of the underlying scientific principles, building prototypes, and trial and error testing. Designing and building something such as an insect trap is a test of an engineer's knowledge and skills.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Design and build structures based on provided criteria and materials.
- Follow the steps of the engineering design process to create a prototype insect trap.
- Discuss the environmental issues surrounding the creation of an insect trap.
- Discuss how engineers would be involved in the design of an insect trap.
Note: While the insect is fictitious, determine in advance some of the characteristics of the imaginary insect. The insect has to fly during the day and be attracted to one or more specific colors and food items that you can purchase inexpensively. Modify the provided Materials List accordingly. For example: if you indicate that the insect is attracted to yellow, provide items such as yellow cups and yellow paper. If you indicate that the insect is attracted to the odor of coffee, provide coffee or coffee grounds.