To Pollinate or Not to Pollinate
By studying how bees and flowers interact with one another, we can also understand engineering practices related to our environment! In this activity, students engineer a model of a flower to test different materials’ ability to pollinate another flower. In teams of two, students use the engineering design process to create a model of a flower out of construction paper and then test different materials by measuring and recording how much pollen is transferred. While discovering the most efficient material, students determine how the information they gain can help bees pollinate and they better understand the importance of bee conservation.
Learning about how bees pollenate through a reading exercise.Copyright 2021 Ryan Pacheco, University of Florida MRET
Engineers use various materials in design and construction in virtually every aspect and specialty. When working with conservation efforts, engineers specialize in designing systems and practices that protect the environment and natural resources. Responsible use and sustainability are both intertwined with engineering. Environmental engineers work with different materials to best preserve and assist natural occurring processes, such as pollination, that benefit the environment.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the process of pollination and its importance to the environment.
- Plan collaboratively.
- Understand the importance of models and how to build one.
- Understand the engineering design process and why it is used.
- Collect data by taking measurements and putting that information into a bar graph to be analyzed.
- Complete multiple trials using varying iterations to find optimal results.