A Catalyst article describing how engineers have designed an aircraft which will produce much less noise as it approaches and leaves the airport. The Silent Aircraft Initiative is a collaboration between scientists and engineers at two universities, Cambridge (UK) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA...

 These materials look at three possible projects that relate to sustainable transport:

* Communications project - students gather information and produce a balanced view on the costs and benefits of using hydrogen as fuel for vehicles.

* Practical project - students investigate the factors that affect...

These materials look at three possible projects that relate to the bicycle used by an athlete in a triathlon: * Communications project - students gather information and give advice about which bike is suitable for a range of users. * Practical project - students undertake practical experiments to investigate the...

In this independent research project students investigate the properties of materials, electric circuits and electronic devices in order to design, build and test a device to measure the steadiness of someone’s hand ...

The key ideas contained in this 'Six for Six' resource from Siemens involves getting pupils thinking about how we get the power we need to support the wide variety of functions we have come to rely...

The resources in this Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) collection look at the aerodynamic characteristics of objects. Students explore the requirements of aerodynamic design through testing simple shapes in a wind tunnel. The activities focus on students acquiring an understanding of aerodynamics...

This report, published by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) in 2008, is based on a survey of ABPI and UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) member companies to review the position three years on from a previous report called Sustaining the Skills Pipeline in the Pharmaceutical and...

These skills worksheets explore a range of topics linked to design and technology. Each worksheet includes a variety of tasks with examples and answers. They work well as a classroom resource, homework task and revision resource.

This short film from the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP) is one of a series of clips which were produced to demonstrate the properties and use of a range of smart materials.

Smart grease is a particularly sticky and viscous gel with almost magical shear characteristics. It can be used in prototype...

This collection of smart materials resources supports students to learn about Quantum Tunnelling Composite, shape memory alloys, polymorph, microencapsulation, photochromic dyes, thermochromic dyes and E-textiles. The collection provides a classroom presentation, teacher notes, student worksheets, student revision...

This resource includes examples of real technologies which can be used as inspiration to children from age 7 to 16. Following on from the challenges that Tim Peake and his clothing will face in space, these case studies include background information for teachers, supporting Powerpoint slides, and example...

This series of short films from the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP) was produced to demonstrate the properties, and use, of a range of smart materials.

Smart materials are materials that have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external stimuli, such as...

The role of smart sensors in our everyday lives is becoming increasingly fundamental. The Smart Sensors topic focuses on what smart sensors are, how they are being used today and how they can be innovative in the future. We are surrounded by systems that convey information but there are questions about whether...