In this resource, students design a new glove for use in a sport of their choice. Students may find it helpful to talk with local people who partake in their chosen sport. The P.E. Department may be able to suggest suitable contacts.

A selection of tests, activities and factsheets are available for the...

In this activity, students will use memory metal wire to create a model of a deployable structure.  The James Webb Space Telescope has several structures that must be deployed in space, including parts of the primary mirror.  Students must create and evaluate a design to enable the primary mirror to fold inside the...

Dallas Campbell shows how you can get involved in engineering from your own home.  T...

This booklet is part of the ‘Innovations in Practical Work’ series published by the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme (SEP). New applications for traditional fabrics are being found, but increasingly, fibres and fabrics are engineered for specific purposes. Much...

In this lesson students will develop an understanding of finishes that can be applied to timber to enhance their properties. Students will complete a finishes worksheet throughout the lesson; creating future revision notes. Lessons learnt knowledge will be tested in a series of exam style questions with provided...

Within this lesson students will develop an understanding of different finishes which can be applied to both paper and board to enhance their appearance and/or improve their function.  Students will understand the main properties and uses of paper and boards.

This activity requires students to design and construct a payload fairing and vibration rig to test a protection system for a satellite (an egg).  Students are given limited materials (this can be differentiated accordingly) to produce their model, the success of the model is initially measured by the egg not being...

This resource explores the impact of globalisation on the manufacturing market. It explores the advantages and disadvantages of global product manufacture, looking at topics such as transport, sustainability, delivery, consumer rights, legislation. The presentation and worksheets combine to create a learning mat...

In this project, students compare the properties of a range of fabrics made from different fibres. The fabrics could be woven or knitted and they could be made from natural fibres such as cotton and wool or synthetic fibres such as nylon. Students should investigate physical properties, such as strength,  tear...

Dallas Campbell talks about how bras require engineering design to enable them to be both comfortable and supportive. He explains how a bra manufacturer...

Within this lesson students will learn how cellulose fibres are derived from wood and grasses and converted into paper. Students will understand the ecological issues in the manufacture and recycling of paper/board.

This lesson teaches students different uses of 3D printing and highlights the three main parts to the 3D printing process (I.e. design, slice, print).

Did you know that some of our everyday materials used on the high street were originally designed for use in space? Many of these space-inspired materials are also part of the Design and Technology (D&T) curriculum, including shape memory alloys, Kevlar, titanium, GORE-TEX and graphene to name just a few.

This collection of resources has been developed to support the teaching of modern materials. Each resource is inspired by space, providing information, experiments and discussion points for each of the modern materials and technologies.

This collection of resources has been developed to support the teaching of smart materials. Each resource is inspired by space, providing information, experiments and discussion points for each of the smart materials and technologies.