Learning Goals
Students will be able to explain how sunlight is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted by different surface materials using evidence from material tests and wave models.
Students will be able to develop and use a model of wave behavior to show how material choice affects heat gain in urban surfaces.
Students will be able to analyze local heat map data and campus observations to identify spatial patterns of urban heat islands and hot spots.
Students will be able to define criteria and constraints for a cooler public space design that addresses human needs, environmental impact, and scientific principles.
Students will be able to generate, compare, and refine multiple design ideas for minimizing heat island effects using test data and feedback from experts.
Students will be able to justify a final cooler public space proposal with evidence from material testing, maps, sketches, and partner feedback.
Products
Heat Island Investigation Portfolio with Mini Prototype
Each student creates an evidence-based research portfolio and a small concept prototype showing how one material or design choice could reduce heat in a public space. The portfolio must connect local data, material tests, and a user-centered problem statement.
Cool City Public Space Proposal and Prototype Exhibition Board
Teams develop a shared how-might-we problem statement and a higher-fidelity model, map, or prototype for a cooler public space. The final board and pitch must show how individual research informed the team solution and how evidence and feedback shaped revisions.
No rubric has been generated yet.