Design Squad

Spark Kids’ Interest in Engineering

“Design Squad”, a new television show that’s all about engineering, is coming to PBS during National Engineers Week (February 20-27).

Mixing real-world design with hands-on projects, “Design Squad” follows eight, high school students as they compete to build fully-functional engineering products in a season-long competition for a college scholarship.

The resulting gadgets range from a machine that makes pancakes to a drag-racing tricycle as students learn how to use creative problem solving to solve real-world problems.

Besides being highly entertaining television, “Design Squad” shows kids that engineering is fun, creative and exciting by presenting engineering concepts and methods in a way that encourages kids to be innovative and think like engineers.

The Show

Created by PBS affiliate WBGH in Boston, “Design Squad” is the result of more than five years of planning and research to create an engineering-design based TV show for middle school kids.

With major funding for “Design Squad” provided by the National Science Foundation and the Intel Foundation, WGBH created an all-new show for kids that focuses on real-world problem solving using engineering-based design.

The Web Site

The official “Design Squad” Web site offers behind-the-scenes information, games, descriptions of the show’s engineering challenges and solutions, plus an e-Zine that highlights the roles of engineers in society.

Downloadable resources for your events such as video clips and printable signs are also available online at www.pbskidsgo.com/designsquad.

The Outreach Campaign

Through events, workshops and educational activity guides, the “Design Squad” outreach campaign goes beyond the television show and into the community.

Partnering with engineers and information education groups across the nation “Design Squad” is delivering activities to places where kids can be found: in after school programs, classrooms, museums and more.

The T-STEM Center is proud to be a “Design Squad” outreach partner, helping to spread the word about “Design Squad” throughout West Texas.