Exploring Technology Through the Ages
A Study Guide for The Time Tunnel
developed as an educational project of the
Society of Women Engineers - San Diego County Section
OBJECTIVE: Completion of any or all of the following
exercises will allow students to better understand the evolution of technology and the
contributions of the fields of engineering to human life.
EXERCISES:
Choose 3 - 5 related inventions from different years and explain how the earlier one(s) led to
the invention of the later one(s). For example: Radios and Television
Most inventions have some effect on the environment. Choose two inventions and explain
their effect on the environment. Consider picking one invention that you think had a minor
environmental effect and another that seems to have had a major environmental effect.
Look around your home, school, or community and make a list of 10 inventions that make
your life easier or more enjoyable. What type(s) of engineering do you think these inventions
were a result of.
Civil engineering projects (for example: bridges, tunnels, and highways) usually take several
years to complete. Research one of the civil engineering projects listed in the time tunnel and find
out
how long it took,
how many workers were needed and what jobs did they
do,
what tools or machines were used, and
if the workers suffered any serious injuries
or deaths.
Then look around your community and select a recently completed civil
engineering project and do the same.
Choose an invention that is more than 100 years old. How has this invention made your life
easier or more enjoyable?
Choose an invention from the year 1000 or later. Do research to learn who the inventor(s)
was(were) and what series of events or steps led to the invention.
Choose an invention from the year 999 or earlier and make up a story about who the
inventor(s) may have been and what series of events or steps could have led to the invention.
SO WHAT: Everyone knows that engineering exists as a viable
career but many have difficulty understanding or describing what engineers actually do and their
importance to human life. Completion of these exercises should increase the student's
understanding of engineering and allow them to consider engineering as a career path for
themselves.