{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/36704"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/36704","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Designing episode content for Design Squad, a new educational engineering children's television program : the human powered water pump as a design challenge","abstract":"In recent years, problems have emerged in the realm of engineering and engineering education in the United States. Technology literacy is low, there are insufficient numbers of engineering students, and there are misconceptions surrounding the engineering profession. To remedy these problems, WGBH Boston and MIT have created a reality-style engineering-based television program for 9- to 13-year-old children, entitled Design Squad. One episode of the show will challenge the 8 child contestants to build a human-powered waterslide pump, to be used at a community swimming pool. 'Two potential design solutions are proposed for the design challenge: a ball-and-chain pump and a positive-displacement plunger pump. The design process of each solution and an evaluation of each solution's feasibility are presented. Criteria for a successful episode of the show are discussed in relation to the challenge. Prototype experimentation and analysis suggest that the human-powered waterslide challenge will invoke an engaging episode of Design Squad.","abstract_html":"In recent years, problems have emerged in the realm of engineering and engineering education in the United States. Technology literacy is low, there are insufficient numbers of engineering students, and there are misconceptions surrounding the engineering profession. To remedy these problems, WGBH Boston and MIT have created a reality-style engineering-based television program for 9- to 13-year-old children, entitled Design Squad. One episode of the show will challenge the 8 child contestants to build a human-powered waterslide pump, to be used at a community swimming pool. 'Two potential design solutions are proposed for the design challenge: a ball-and-chain pump and a positive-displacement plunger pump. The design process of each solution and an evaluation of each solution's feasibility are presented. Criteria for a successful episode of the show are discussed in relation to the challenge. Prototype experimentation and analysis suggest that the human-powered waterslide challenge will invoke an engaging episode of Design Squad.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sadler, Joel A","Tomczak, Mika A"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Daniel D. Frey."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006","date_published":"2006","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:17Z","subjects":["Mechanical Engineering."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. 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Technology literacy is low, there are insufficient numbers of engineering students, and there are misconceptions surrounding the engineering profession. To remedy these problems, WGBH Boston and MIT have created a reality-style engineering-based television program for 9- to 13-year-old children, entitled Design Squad. One episode of the show will challenge the 8 child contestants to build a human-powered waterslide pump, to be used at a community swimming pool. 'Two potential design solutions are proposed for the design challenge: a ball-and-chain pump and a positive-displacement plunger pump. The design process of each solution and an evaluation of each solution's feasibility are presented. Criteria for a successful episode of the show are discussed in relation to the challenge. 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