This report describes a generic capstone design project for a high school engineering course. In this unit, the design process is cycled thrice with declining amounts of structure and support. Students are expected to become increasingly independent in the design process by the end of the unit. The generic unit can accommodate many themes, but in order to give a through description, the report focuses on the design of a hovercraft. The bulk of the report presents engineering content needed to design RC hovercraft but readers will hopefully see the hovercraft as more of an example instead of the example. My intention is to inform other teachers of a generic way to conduct this type of engineering unit. Any brevity or lack of detail should be viewed as an opportunity for personalization and creativity. The report includes a review of relevant literature on the topics of student interest and motivation affecting achievement, recommendations on curriculum guidelines by a national review committee and some discussion on coaching students from novice to expert performance / text

Nanotechnology is an emerging field of engineering. Awareness needs to be fostered in the K-12 education system in order to sustain its expansion. As a current Algebra 1 teacher, I participated in the NASCENT research program to further my education in nanotechnology and find ways to integrate this content and practices in my Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) based Algebra 1 curriculum. During the research, I learned about surface tension of solids and liquids and its effects on materials' wetting properties. After completing the research program, I created a 2-week long project where students will replicate my experiences during this research. The purpose of this report is to investigate the need for the integration of nanotechnology in STEM classes and find ways to turn my research experience into real-world learning opportunities for my students. / text