HS-ETS1 Engineering design - global challenges
Aligned to HS-ETS1 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
Real-world engineering tackles complex, open-ended problems by first defining clear criteria and constraints, including societal and environmental needs. Engineers then evaluate competing solutions using trade-off analysis, weighing cost, impact, and feasibility, and refine designs with models and data rather than picking the first idea that works.
Worked example
To expand clean water access in a remote village, an engineer compares a deep well, a solar-powered purifier, and rainwater collection. A trade-off matrix scoring each on cost, maintenance, and reliability shows the solar purifier scores highest overall, so it is refined and prototyped before full deployment.
Practice questions
- Why must engineers consider societal and environmental criteria, not just whether a design works?
- Explain how a trade-off analysis helps choose between two workable solutions.
- Pick a global challenge and describe three criteria you would use to evaluate solutions.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
HS-ETS1 Diseño de ingeniería - desafíos globales
La ingeniería en el mundo real aborda problemas complejos y abiertos, comenzando por definir criterios y restricciones claros, incluyendo las necesidades sociales y ambientales. Los ingenieros evalúan soluciones en competencia mediante un análisis de compensaciones, considerando el costo, el impacto y la viabilidad, y perfeccionan los diseños con modelos y datos, en lugar de quedarse con la primera idea que funciona.
Ejemplo: Para ampliar el acceso a agua potable en una comunidad remota, un ingeniero compara un pozo profundo, un purificador solar y la recolección de agua de lluvia. Una matriz de compensaciones que evalúa cada opción en costo, mantenimiento y confiabilidad muestra que el purificador solar obtiene la puntuación más alta en general, por lo que se refina y se hace un prototipo antes de implementarlo por completo.
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