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The ME²L program trains University engineering students to provide engaging activities to foster curiosity about STEM topics. Our engineering students visit Washoe County School District classrooms and facilitate 1-hour grade-appropriate, interactive lessons for kindergarten through fifth grade.

What ME²L offers 

• Introduction to engineering presentation: University engineering students explain what it’s like to be an engineering student and discuss the different types of engineering disciplines. 
• High-quality instruction: Content is developed by University engineering students. 
• Hands-on activity: Participants get to conduct an engineering experiment. 

Lessons will be available Sept. 2, 2024 to May 3, 2025. Please contact engrk12@unr.edu to be added to the contact list. 

To sign your class up for an ME²L lesson, please use the . 

Thank you to all of our past teachers and students for participating in our Mobile Engineering Education Lab! We hope you had as much fun as we did. We are looking forward to another great semester. 

ME²L availabilty and lessons

Due to limited availability of time slots, schools will be allowed four time slots per semester. Classes are allowed to combine with other classes (for example, a third-grade class with another third-grade class). Our lessons can accommodate groups of up to 40. 

Current lessons

• Forces and Motion (kindergarten)
  In this lesson, students will learn about forces of motion. They will learn how mass and acceleration impact how much force is applied to an object through the concept of roller coaster ramps. The students will apply the engineering design process to understand the Next Generation Grants System (NGSS)-aligned concepts.
  
  
• Simple Machines (kindergarten)
  Kindergarteners will become mechanical engineers in this introduction to the basic principles of motion. Students will work together to investigate simple machines including pulleys, wheels, axles, inclined planes and levers in a hands-on activity. This NGSS-aligned lesson will get kids interested in learning about how the world works.
  
  
• Let’s Talk About Sound (first grade)
  In this lesson, students will learn about sound. They will discuss how sound waves can be distorted as they travel across distances and through objects. First-graders will see the sound waves in the form of vibrations and learn about how different vibrations produce different sounds. This NGSS-aligned lesson will include hands- (and ears!)-on activities designed to solidify concepts.
  
  
• Lights, Camera, Engineer! (first grade)
  Students will discover how materials science engineers must understand the way light interacts with various media. Then they'll use mechanical engineering and electrical engineering principles to create their own light-powered vehicles.
  
  
• Design a Parachute! (second and third grades)
  In this lesson, students will put on their materials engineering thinking caps to learn about the types of matter. They will learn why some materials are better suited for certain engineering designs rather than others in a fun and relevant activity that aligns with NGSS standards.
  
  
• Materials Make it Work! (second and third grades)
  In this hands-on lesson, students will investigate the various properties of materials. Working in teams and with specialized tool kits, students will be tasked with saving a town from mischievous monsters, barreling boulders and furious floods.
  
  
• Destination: Space! (second and third grades)
  In this lesson, students will take on the role of engineers to build a rocket capable of soaring high into the sky outside their classrooms. Students will learn that many factors affect the ability of the rocket to launch, including size, shape and weight.
  
  
• Protecting Cities (fourth grade)
  Fourth-graders will learn how the earth's topography changes over time and how that affects humans. This NGSS-aligned lesson covers the different kinds of engineering solutions to disasters like earthquakes, landslides and other problems. Students will interpret data and use the engineering design process to solve problems.
  
  
• Tall Towers (fourth and fifth grades)
  Students will learn how to design a building and all the factors civil engineers must consider to ensure those buildings can stand up to the forces of nature. Students will then put their knowledge to the test in a fun competition as they work to build the tallest tower in the room!
  
  
• Code a Robot (fourth and fifth grades)
  Students will learn the fundamentals of coding through pseudocode and learn the challenges modern computer science engineers face getting a program to work exactly as intended. Students will get the chance to build their own code to instruct a robot to complete an assigned task.
  
  
• Solar S’mores (third through fifth grades)
  Students will make a solar oven and use it to cook a marshmallow and make a s’more. Students will learn about the position of the sun and the temperature, and how the angle of the sun relates to direct sunlight received -- and therefore, how much energy is received. This lesson is best during the warmer months but is available year-round.