Engineering Design

  1. Chemistry

    To test pill coatings, try a stomach in a flask

    Which pain reliever should you buy? The tablet, gel tab or compressed caplet? A teen did an experiment to find out.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  2. Chemistry

    BPA-free plastic may host BPA-like chemical, teen finds

    Something has to replace the BPA in ‘BPA-free’ plastics. A teen has been probing what that is.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  3. Animals

    Underwater robot vacuums up lionfish

    Lionfish damage coral reefs in the Atlantic Ocean. A new underwater robot hunts, stuns and captures the bullies with help from a human operator.

    By Kathryn Hulick
  4. Health & Medicine

    Plant extract mutes germs to fight infections

    A plant extract prevents the aggressive behavior seen in some germs. Using it could fight the development of most bladder infections, a teen’s research suggests.

    By Sid Perkins
  5. Earth

    To study a geyser, these teens built their own

    Fascinated by geysers but unable to see one? These teens decided to build their own. It allowed them to study how temperature and pressure make the water spew into a founta.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  6. Environment

    Maybe ‘shade balls’ should not be balls

    So-called shade balls have a range of uses in water reservoirs, from cutting evaporation to reducing the growth of algae. But the best performers might not actually be balls, a Florida teen now shows.

    By Sid Perkins
  7. Health & Medicine

    Are fidget spinners tools or toys?

    Fidget spinners are all the rage. Therapists say toys such as these can help some kids calm down and pay attention.

    By Kathryn Hulick
  8. Physics

    Physics guides teen in search for which bike tire is best

    Mountain bikes have lots of options, including the size of the wheels. The choice a rider makes when buying a bike can affect how fast they can go.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  9. Health & Medicine

    A light-filled box could blast bacteria from lab coats

    Doctors can pick up bacteria on their lab coats. A teen has designed a special light-filled box to keep those coats from infecting others with those germs.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  10. Materials Science

    Teen’s invention could help light up bikes at night

    A teen researcher from Georgia has developed a light that could replace reflectors on bike wheels. Flexing tires provide all the power it needs.

    By Sid Perkins
  11. Health & Medicine

    This mix turns pink when sunscreen wears thin

    Many people know to put on sunscreen. Remembering to put more on is harder. A teen invented an indicator that glows pink when it’s time to reapply.

    By Bethany Brookshire
  12. Microbes

    Tweaked germs glow to pinpoint buried landmines

    Finding landmines could become much safer with a new technology. It uses genetically modified bacteria that glow under laser light.

    By Dinsa Sachan