Filtering by
- Creators: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program
- Creators: Division of Teacher Preparation
- Creators: Heller, Cheryl
- Member of: Theses and Dissertations
- Status: Published
This project showcases the significance of allowing kids to be involved in the design process of a STEAM museum. By allowing kids to help prototype, it ultimately benefits the overall museum and allows for an additional learning experience for the kids.
The goal of this experiment was to examine the energy absorption properties of origami-inspired honeycomb and standard honeycomb structures. These structures were 3D printed with two different materials: thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Quasi-static compression testing was performed on these structures for both types and materials at various wall thicknesses. The energy absorption and other material properties were analyzed for each structure. Overall, the results indicate that origami-inspired structures perform best at energy absorption at a higher wall thickness with a rigid material. The results also indicated that standard honeycomb structures perform better with lower wall thickness, and also perform better with a rigid, rather than a flexible material. Additionally, it was observed that a flexible material, like TPU, better demonstrates the folding and recovery properties of origami-inspired structures. The results of this experiment have applications wherever honeycomb structures are used, mostly on aircraft and spacecraft. In vehicles with structures of a sufficiently high wall thickness with a rigid material, origami-inspired honeycomb structures could be used instead of current honeycomb structures in order to better protect the passengers or payload through improved energy absorption.
The goal of themed entertainment is to use activities and environments to tell a story and immerse the guest in a novel experience. By applying these concepts to nonfiction and educational topics, the concept of edutainment is created. In recent years museums have begun utilizing the concept of edutainment and techniques typically found in themed entertainment experiences to capture the attention and focus of guests and create experiences that connect emotionally with them. My goal in this thesis pathway project was to investigate this trend and technique of connecting with an audience and apply it to the STEAMtank project within ASU’s Innovation Space. The goal of STEAMtank is to design and fabricate children’s STEAM museum exhibits in two semesters with focus on accessible design. My team conducted research and interviews exploring current market trends in theme parks and museums, best practice designs and operations, and interests of children to develop the concept for our exhibit, Gust of Dust, which was then fine-tuned, constructed, and installed in the STEAMtank Exhibit Space. Gust of Dust is an exciting exhibit demonstrating the power of a haboob that was developed from preconcept to installation in under a year by two determined and talented interdisciplinary teams. Learning about haboobs connect concepts of environmentalism, earth science, and safety to real concepts in children’s lives.