Episode #213
"Design Squad," a series for kids, is something new on the block – it?s aimed at 9- to 12-year-olds, it borrows from the hugely popular reality competition format and it intends to get its viewers excited about engineering. This weekly half-hour series will be serious fun for kids (and adults) of all ages.
In 13 episodes, two teams of high school students (ages 16-19) design, build and test whimsical machines and innovative products – everything from a wireless light and dance show to an automatic pancake maker – for real clients. Guided by two engineer hosts (a male and female twenty-something duo: NOT your stereotypical men-with-pocket-protectors), "Design Squad" teams are scored for their ability to think outside the box and meet (or surpass) the demands of the challenge at hand.
In the final episode, the top two scorers battle for the Grand Prize: a $10,000 college scholarship from the Intel Foundation. To make real world connections for viewers, improve the public image of engineering and inspire kids to believe that engineering is accessible to them, each "Design Squad" episode profiles a real engineer, while the web site looks behind the scenes, offering games, video clips and an e-zine highlighting the role of engineers in society.
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