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Activity (Hands-On)Grades 9 - 11

Clean Cooking Matters

A tin can cookstove is sitting on a ring stand. A ring clamp is attached to the ring stand and wire mesh is sitting on the ring clamp. The ring clamp and wire mesh are sitting directly on top of the cookstove. An aluminum loaf pan is sitting on top of the wire mesh.

Lack of access to clean cooking affects two-thirds of the global population and disproportionately impacts women. Burn Design Lab in Vashon, WA partners with communities across the globe to design clean cooking technologies. In this activity, students will mimic their work by developing a prototype of a cookstove. They will, as engineers must, engage in human-centered design by tying scientific innovation to human needs, uses, resources, etc. The students will also learn how their work and that being done at Burn Design Lab meets three of the United Nations’ Sustainable Design Goals meant to make the world better.

The students will start out working in groups to complete a pre-activity assessment. After that, they will engage in internet research which entails learning about the work done at Burn Design Lab, cookstoves, the UN Sustainable Design Goals, and life in Kenya. Then, they will sketch, plan, and make their prototype. After that, they will test their prototypes. Next, they will evaluate their data and that of their peers before redesigning and retesting their prototype. They will finish by completing a post-activity assessment. Though Kenya is studied in this activity, it can be applied to many different countries and communities.

Access to clean cooking affects two-thirds of the global population and disproportionately impacts the health and quality of life of women. Burn Design Lab in Vashon, WA partners with communities across the globe to design clean cooking technologies. In this activity, students will mimic their work by developing a prototype of a cookstove. They will, as engineers must, engage in human-centered design by tying scientific innovation to human needs, uses, resources, etc. They will also learn how their work and that done at Burn Design Lab meets the United Nations’ Sustainable Design Goals meant to improve the world.

After this activity, students should be able to:

  • Understand the role of culture in scientific innovation (human-centered design).
  • Apply the engineering design process to create a prototype of a cookstove to support clean cooking.

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