An iPad app designed to teach children about structural
engineering has taken the US by storm, reaching #22 on the download charts for
the iconic tablet brand
The success of the Truss Me! app may be explained by the
fact that it feels and looks like a game, even though the simulation engine
running behind the scenes is truly state-of-the-art.
The app, including its algorithms, was designed by professor
Julian J. Rimoli from Georgia Tech, who teaches Aerospace Engineering and whose
research focuses on advanced modeling of materials and structures.
Rimoli came up with the idea for such a sophisticated
simulation engine because he wanted users of the game to acquire the right
intuition about what is really going on with the structure. Many “structures”
games, he said, are designed to just look good and not to reproduce reality.
The main objective is to help students acquire some
intuition as to how truss structures behave through state of the art
simulations.
The game has two playing modes. In the freestyle mode,
students are encouraged to design and test their own structures. In this way,
they can see which concepts work and which ones fail. In the challenges mode,
students have to solve structural puzzles in order of increasing level of
complexity. Their work is rewarded according to how light their design is: the
lighter the structure the more points they get, and the more points the get,
the more golden nuts they collect.
For each challenge, they can win up to three golden nuts.
However, collecting golden nuts does not necessarily prove to be an easy task,
as structures can fail if their component parts are too slender.
Rimoli has used trusses as the fundamental component of the
game for several reasons.
Firstly, trusses are everywhere.
“Kids can see them everywhere in their daily life,” he said.
“They are in bridges, roofs, cranes, stadiums, power lines and more.”
Trusses are also simple.
“All you need to understand the behaviour of a truss is the
notion of tension and compression,” he added. “Consequently, there is no need
to explain complicated concepts such as shear and bending. Yet, despite their
simplicity, trusses allow you to explain all the main concepts of structural
mechanics: loads are related to deformations, deformations are related to
stresses, and stresses are related to failure.”
Rimoli believes that ‘games’ are an excellent way of
engaging students.
“We all like to have fun, and the reality is that sometimes
studying can be a little bit boring if we are not interested on the subject,”
he said. ”I believe that the gaming
component in an educational tool is critical to generate interest. They still
have to work hard to learn.”
“In ‘Truss Me!’ you have to think hard on each challenge
(golden nuts aren’t free!), but the activity can become much more bearable and
even entertaining if you have the motivation to do it. I believe games amplify
the motivational factor in students enormously.”
There is a growing trend toward encouraging younger children
to enter the field of engineering, and educational toys are certainly playing a
huge role in that.
Just as Truss Me! is carving its niche in the iPad app market,
Goldieblox has taken the toy aisle by storm. Although aimed specifically at
getting girls into engineering and addressing a gender imbalance in the
industry, the principles are the same and Rimoli believes that the traction it
is gaining is hugely important for the profession.
“Engineering is about solving societal problems, and as such
the field needs engineers that fairly represent the diversity of our society,”
he said. “Traditionally, women are underrepresented in engineering. I think
that issue should be addressed, but the big question is: how do we do it? There
are many approaches at many levels – for example generating more inclusive work
environments or incentivising those women interested in engineering through
scholarships. But the most pressing aspect from my perspective is that the
pipeline is not big enough.”
“What I like about the concept behind Goldieblox is that it
attacks the problem at its root by generating interest in engineering at early
stages. It is also fantastic to see how they gracefully break with engineering
and gender stereotypes. I think these kind of approaches aimed at the early
stages of education will profoundly impact the development of the engineering
workforce.”
Rimoli said he still has many more ideas for educational
engineering apps.
Source: Sourceable.net
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