Sunny Hills High School

Engineering Pathways to Innovation & Change

To educate and inspire the best young minds in science, engineering, and applied mathematics to become prolific thinkers, creative designers, and community leaders.

Students will develop computational thinking vital for success across all disciplines, such as using computational tools to analyze and study data and working with large data sets to analyze, visualize, and draw conclusions from trends. The course is unique in its focus on fostering student creativity. Students are encouraged to apply creative processes when developing computational artifacts and to think creatively while using simulations to explore questions that interest them. They will also develop effective communication and collaboration skills, working individually and collaboratively to solve problems, and discussing and writing about the importance of these problems and the impacts to their community, society, and the world.  

Introduction to Engineering Design (IED)
Through both individual and collaborative team activities and projects,  students will problem solve as they practice common engineering design protocols such as project management and peer review.  Students will develop skills in technical representation and documentation of design solutions according to  accepted engineering standard.  They will apply current 3-D design and modeling using AutoDesk Inventor to represent and communicate solutions.  The development of computational methods that are commonly used in engineering problem-solving will also be emphasized - including statistical analysis and mathematical modeling.  

Principles of Engineering (POE)
Students are exposed to some of the major concepts that they will encounter in a post-secondary, engineering course of study.  Through problems that engage and challenge, students explore a broad range of engineering topics including mechanisms, the strength of materials and structures, automation, robotics, electrical circuits, and kinematics.  The course concurrently applies and develops secondary-level knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and technology. The course also addresses concerns about social and political consequences of technological changes.   

Engineering Design and Development (EDD)
ED&D is the capstone course in the engineering program for seniors.  It is an open-ended engineering research course in which students work in teams to design and develop an original solution to a well-defined and justified open-ended problem by applying an engineering design process.  Students will perform research to select, define, and justify a problem.  After carefully defining the design requirements and creating multiple solution approaches, teams of students select an approach, create, and test their solution prototype.  Student teams will present and defend their original solution to an outside panel.  While progressing through the engineering design process, students will work closely with experts and continually hone their organizational, communication and interpersonal skills, their creative and problem solving abilities, and their understanding of the design process.