Genetic engineers study genes and DNA to develop ways to recreate and modify them to advance technologies in fields such as medicine and agriculture. Using living organisms and systems to create new products and technologies is called biotechnology. Readers will learn how genetic engineers are working toward curing diseases in humans and making crops less susceptible to disease. Real-life examples and a design challenge help students understand key concepts related to the engineering process, and encourage discussion about the impact of biotechnology on our lives, including its benefits and risks.
As cities and populations grow, we need more and more energy to run and heat our homes and to power transportation. Readers will learn how energy engineers help make sure that our energy demands are met in a number of different ways. They discover new ways to convert natural resources into affordable and environmentally friendly forms of energy; they build and operate power stations for both renewable and non-renewable forms of energy; they manage electrical power networks; they also monitor how generating energy may harm the planet. Real-life examples and a design challenge help students understand key concepts related to the engineering process, and how energy engineers will play a vital role in our future.
Readers with a creative flair and an eye for attractive layout can let their creative sides show with this title about the artistic and inventive field of interior design. Readers will explore multiple styles of design, as well as learn about some influential designers and the artistic movements that shaped them. They'll also learn how to make a room design board, how to build a 3-D model of an interior space, and how to dress it to match their own unique style. These tools help them experiment with their own designs and adapt them to suit many kinds of spaces.
This interesting title unfolds the art and science of paper engineering. Readers interested in crafting and designing patterns and structures will be inspired to create "Maker" projects using paper - a medium readily accessible to any classroom or library. Kids will learn about popular trends and possibilities in paper engineering, and how great engineers in many different fields often visualize and create their most amazing projects in paper models first. Readers are encouraged to experiment with their own ideas and create products that are unique to their visions.
From high-powered cameras to smartphones, photography is a popular and accessible interest of many individuals today. This title helps young photographers explore the history of this important art, and the pioneers who innovated and created some of the world’s most notable cameras and photos. Readers will learn about lenses, filters, composition, and lighting. They will also be encouraged to create their own photography projects using different styles and mediums, and changing their photos into forms that suit their ideas and concepts.
The great outdoors is the perfect "Maker" space for exploring possibilities for creativity, problem solving, and innovation. From designing devices to study the natural world to figuring out ways to find food or water outside, this refreshing title inspires readers to come up with Maker projects of their own in their back yards or communities. "Makers and Shakers" sidebars introduce important innovators and their creations to inspire readers to be environmentally aware and involved in the natural world.
This plugged-in title helps readers navigate the sometimes-complex world of electronic innovation. Young readers can explore this exciting and popular field by learning the basics of electronic circuits and how electronic components work, which they can then apply to an idea of their own. They will be able to create their project using everyday materials and easy-to-understand computer elements. Important electronic innovators and their creations are profiled to provide inspiration for young “makers.”
This amazing title instructs young readers on how to shape wooden objects based on their own, unique ideas. Kids will explore this exciting and popular field by learning a few basic techniques of woodworking and what tools to use, which they can then experiment with in safe and accessible projects. "Makers and Shakers" sidebars introduce kids to furniture makers and builders and to different styles in woodworking.
The legendary island of Atlantis was said to have incredible buildings, waterways, and art - far advanced for its time. Then, in a day and night, it was destroyed by earthquakes and floods, disappearing forever into the earth. Was this fascinating place myth or reality? This intriguiging book follows the clues in the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato to discover the truth.
True or false? In October 1871, a cow kicked a lantern over and sparked a fire that would destroy much of the city of Chicago. The cow tale is likely not the true story, but the damage and death toll of the Great Chicago Fire were very real. This engrossing book explores the causes of the fire, how it spread, and the aftermath of the blaze. It also explains how the mighty city was rebuilt to become one of the most architecturally diverse and original cities in the world.
As we reflect in 2016 on the 30th anniversary of the Shuttle Challenger tragedy, it is fitting that we remind ourselves why all of these brave and daring pioneers go into space. From the first unmanned spacecraft to the planned mission to Mars in 2030, this awesome book celebrates the milestone achievements of space travel, the agonizing - but no less important - failures, and the pioneers who made it happen - sometimes giving their lives to do it.
For nearly two decades, Dian Fossey immersed herself in the study of mountain gorillas in Africa. She became known as a highly respected primatologist - a scientist who studies apes and other primates - and a fiercely devoted champion of their safety and preservation. Fossey had made powerful enemies because of her opposition to the gorilla-related tourism industry and her knowledge of animal trafficking among members of the government. In 1985, she was found murdered in her cabin in Rwanda. The case remains unsolved to this day, but her intense love for this endangered species helped create a legacy that survives in the work of others to this day.
As a girl, Amelia Earhart aspired to a future that would take her beyond the family and medical problems of her younger years, as well as the restrictions imposed on her because she was female. Widely celebrated for her long-distance flights, she also set records for altitude and speed, and helped develop passenger airline service. As a writer and magazine editor, Earhart also further advanced the cause of flight and of women in aviation. Her disappearance during a daring around-the-world flight in 1937 has been a source of intrigue for over 80 years. Earhart’s life and career have provided inspiration to generations of young people, particularly those whose paths have been beset with obstacles and barriers.
When tanks roared onto the battlefield for the first time in World War I, these mechanical beasts changed how battles were fought and how wars were won. Tanks at War looks at the history of tanks, the always-changing technology of weaponry and armor, and how tactics for the use of tanks in battle have changed from a hundred years ago to modern conflicts today. Read about new technologies in the works for the future including robotic tanks and invisibility cloaking devices.
The snarls of beasts, the clash of steel, the cries of the victims, and the roar of the crowd - these are the gladiator games of ancient Rome. The heroes of these spectacles were the gladiators, who were idolized like today’s pop stars. This exciting book reveals the sometimes surprising facts about how these fierce combatants lived - and if they could not - how they tried to "die well."
Black Tuesday and the Great Depression explores the causes of the stock market crash in 1929 and the resulting Great Depression. For more than ten years the effects of October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday, were felt not only in North America, but worldwide. Source material, including posters, political cartoons, books, interviews, and articles show the devastation of the resulting mass unemployment, epidemic real estate foreclosures, and crushing poverty of those years.
This thoughtful book describes the course of events that followed the end of World War II, and the war's long-term legacy. Readers will learn about war crimes trials in Japan and Germany. The Nuremburg Trials detailed the horrifying mass murder of six million Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The Paris Peace Conference in 1947 redrew international boundaries and created the state of Israel in an attempt to ensure the survival of the Jewish people. It also split Germany into two parts, each occupied by different countries and setting the stage for a new kind of war - the "cold war." Discussion boxes describe reconstruction in Germany and Japan, what lessons leaders learned from the mistakes of WWI's Treaty of Versailles, and the founding of the United Nations.
This fascinating title sets the world scene in the two decades between the end of World War I and the start of World War II. Readers will get a snapshot of the political and economic situations around the world. Most countries experienced booming economies following WWI. But Germany, punished under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, suffered under great hardship. With the stock market crash in 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, the world found itself moving again toward war. Find out how the humiliation and poverty of the German people led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party - and a second world war.
This compelling book follows the significant battles over the course of World War II. European countries and their colonies and allies, such as the United States and Canada, supplied forces for battles. Readers will learn that fighting took place in five parts of the world: western and eastern Europe, North Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia. New advances in technology since WWI led to fierce fighting on land, at sea, and in the air. Find out how victory was won or lost in such famous conflicts as the Battle of the Atlantic, Germany's Blitzkrieg, the Battle of Britain, Dieppe, Paris, Stalingrad, Berlin, Midway, Pearl Harbor, and the dropping of the atomic bombs.
A worldwide conflict, World War II involved alliances between political leaders and military forces from many different countries, including the United States and Canada. This fascinating book looks at key figures involved during this war of expansion by invasion. Brief biographies give details of the lives and actions of political leaders Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Truman, Stalin, Hirohito, and Tojo; military leaders Rommel, Goring, Donitz, Dowding, Pound, MacArthur, and Patton; as well as flying aces, code breakers, and activists.
From trees and plants to bugs and birds, every living thing on Earth is a form of energy. And all living organisms create energy, too, in the form of their waste. The energy of living things is called biomass, and it can be used to power the things that we need in our everyday lives, from washing machines, cars, and computers to the heating and lighting used in our buildings. Find out more about biomass, how it is sourced and used, and why this form of energy could help us find a more sustainable way to power our lives in the future.
How are many people in different places around the world learning to live in a green and sustainable way? Find out how human activities such as driving cars and wasting energy are threatening our environment and putting the future of our planet at risk. Discover how people everywhere are choosing to live more sustainably by recycling, using green sources of energy, car-sharing, and reducing air travel.
We live in an energy-rich age, in which we can turn on a light with the flick of a switch or drive anywhere by turning a key. But, our vehicles, factories, and power stations, which create the electricity needed to light and heat our buildings, pump carbon dioxide into Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide overload from these human activities is making our planet hotter and hotter - and is causing the Earth's climate to change. Find out what scientists are doing to find sustainable new forms of energy that will secure our planet’s future.
Earth has a limited supply of fossil fuels, and in the near future this supply will come to an end. However, more people live on the planet than ever in its history - and they all need energy. One of the ways in which we can meet this increasing demand for energy is through nuclear power. Nuclear power stations do not drain our planet of its resources, and they can supply a seemingly limitless source of energy. Discover more about nuclear energy, how it is created and harnessed, and the controversies and challenges that surround it.
The endless and enormous power of the sun provides life to all organisms on Earth, from the smallest plant to the largest animal. This awesome power is being used today to provide a rich and abundant source of energy in many parts of the world, and to operate machinery and heat and light buildings. Discover how the sun is powering our planet, the technology used to harness it, and what the future of solar power could be.
