STEM Education and Projects - A step by step guide

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education has become more necessary than ever, and happily, it is also becoming more common in the 21^st century education system. These disciplines are foundational to innovation and are essential for solving the complex challenges today’s young people will face. However, STEM education is more than learning theories and concepts; it’s about applying knowledge to create, build, and understand the world around us. That’s where hands-on projects come in.

STEM projects give students opportunities to engage deeply with the material. They help them develop problem-solving skills and creativity. By working on real-world challenges, students can see the WHY of what they are learning, and are more motivated to explore STEM fields further. Projects can also bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, making learning more meaningful and fun.

This guide, "STEM Projects: A Comprehensive Guide," is designed to be a valuable resource for educators, makerspace administrators, and anyone involved in STEM education. We are in makerspaces all the time, from K-12 to university, so we have made this guide to offer a wide range of project ideas, strategies, and resources tailored to different educational levels and disciplines.

We’re in makerspaces because 3DPrinterOS runs all the many kinds of 3D printer on a single platform, and is a simple way to manage 3D printers, users, and print files. It gives a clear line of sight into who is printing what, and on which machine. If you’d like to see it in action for yourself, go ahead and book a demo; otherwise, keep reading to get some STEM inspiration. 

How to Use This Guide for STEM Projects

This guide is organized to help you easily find the information you need, whether you’re looking for age-appropriate projects, discipline-specific activities, or inspiration for integrating technology into your curriculum. The content is divided into sections by grade level, project complexity, and specific STEM disciplines, making it simple to navigate.

As well as project ideas, this guide also covers important considerations such as funding and resource availability, although that is such a large topic we intend to publish our recommendations separately. You can subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter here.

Why Hands-On Projects Matter

So why are STEM projects important? Well, they are structured in such a way they help develop the skills and mindsets that students need, beyond just memorizing facts as used to be traditional. Through these projects, students learn to work together and think critically. They learn to develop both their creativity and their resilience. And they also gain confidence in their ability to make a tangible impact on the world: we've seen students make significant progress on global challenges like medical equipment for places without electricity.

As you explore the project ideas in this guide, we hope you find practical advice that will help you with STEM education in your classroom or makerspace. Moving towards a hands-on, project-based learning environment, you can help your students prepare today for the challenges of tomorrow. Let's get started.

Grade-Level Projects for your STEM Class or Makerspace

K-5 STEM Projects: Curiosity and a Love for Learning

The main goal in the early years of education is to develop a love for learning. If you can hit that one target, it will carry students well on their way through their school years. 

STEM projects at the K-5 level should be simple and hands-on, with the focus on exploration and discovery. This age students are naturally curious, and when they engage in activities that allow them to experiment, build, and create, - and maybe get a little messy! - they develop problem-solving skills without even knowing it. 

Projects for this age group might include basic engineering challenges like building with blocks and simple science experiments like observing plants growing. One of our favorites in a kindergarten classroom involved gently handling and observing live snails: just enough “ew” to keep kids really interested, and students were also learning about classifying animals. 

Coding activities using online tools are fun at the older end of this age range. Again, the key is to keep these projects fun, and make sure students associate STEM with creativity, good times, and play. 

K-5 STEM Project: Balloon-Powered Car

In this project you would get your students to explore basic engineering concepts by designing and building a simple car powered by a balloon.  As well as having a lot of fun, they'll learn about force, motion, and how air can be used as a source of energy to propel their cars forward.  Axles are sometimes the hardest part to design - we've seen axles built at this level using a drink straw with a skewer running through it, and wheels attached to the skewer.

Middle School STEM Projects: Making STEM Accessible and Exciting for All Students

Middle school can be a tough time for students. Their cognitive ability begins to develop, and they are typically ready for more complex STEM projects. However, this is also a time of peer pressure, which can impact all aspects of their life, including their attitudes toward STEM. Teachers need to not only make STEM subjects approachable, fun, and exciting, but also dispel those persistent myths that STEM is too difficult, only for the "smart kids," or just for boys.

So design those middle school STEM projects to challenge students, but still keep them attainable. Building and programming basic robots is usually popular. Check out Lego League if you need guidance. You can start running experiments that have more detailed observation and analysis. And you can have your students work on engineering challenges like spaghetti bridges that require teamwork and creative problem-solving. 

As a STEM teacher, you'll find that framing these activities as fun and rewarding will help your students develop a growth mindset. The iterative process of STEM helps them learn that where they see challenges, there are opportunities to learn and grow. 

It’s also important to introduce a variety of role models who have succeeded in STEM fields. If you can find some community partners willing to come in for presentations or Q&A sessions - for example, business owners and engineers - you can help all students to see that there’s a place for them in these disciplines. Meeting people from the real world can demystify STEM and make it a space where all students can thrive.

Middle School STEM project: Design and Program a Simple Robot

Middle school students generally love to get into robotics. Try a kit like LEGO Mindstorms or VEX Robotics, to help them design and program a basic robot. They'll learn to translate ideas into code and make the robot perform tasks such as moving or responding to sensors. A kit project like this makes STEM approachable, but keeps it exciting and fun.

A little side-note about middle school STEM classes and 3D printing in particular: this is an area where everyone wins when you’re running your 3D printers without SD cards or USB sticks. Our clients have told us their middle school students literally could lose so many SD cards it was impacting the makerspace budget. Even more importantly, with 3DPrinterOS the teachers can go back in and verify why a print may have failed. In one true example of this recently, a student had printed it at 200%. Being able to 3D print from the cloud, and track each iteration, meant the teacher was able to see, even AFTER the item was printed, exactly which settings had been used.

High School STEM Projects: Unlocking Potential and Creating Opportunities

High school students start to seriously consider their future careers. For many, it’s their first real exposure to advanced STEM concepts and technologies. Schools that offer good STEM programs provide students with opportunities to explore fields like robotics, computer science, engineering, and environmental science. Often this gives students tools and technologies that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

And these high school STEM projects can be a higher level of challenge. They can really push students to apply what they’ve learned in real-world contexts. For example, students might design and build their own robots, develop software applications, or do independent research projects. The topics they pursue are often up-to-date with the real world, like renewable energy or biomedical engineering. These projects inspire students to think creatively and solve complex problems, as well as teach technical concepts.

We’ve seen that participating in high school STEM projects can open doors to a wide range of future opportunities. Makerspace students might win college scholarships or internships in cutting-edge industries; we also know students who have won their own 3D printer in local competitions. By making STEM exciting and accessible, educators can help students discover their passions and set them on a path to success in their chosen fields.

High School STEM Project: Build and Program an Autonomous Vehicle

Have your high school students take on the challenge of building and programming an autonomous vehicle that can navigate its environment using sensors. This project deepens their understanding of robotics, engineering, and programming. It provides a hands-on experience that combines the real-world applications of STEM. It’s an exciting way to demonstrate how technology can be used to solve complex problems.

University-Level STEM Projects: Making a Real-World Impact

At the university level, STEM projects take on a new level of significance as students begin to apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems. These projects often involve collaboration with industry partners, community organizations, or government agencies. This gives students the opportunity to make a tangible impact through their work, and we’ve known students keep in touch with their community partners long after classes ended for the year.

University STEM projects might include innovations in the field of environmental sustainability. Or it might be creating new technologies in the fields of robotics or artificial intelligence. With a bent on research, students might be working in fields like biotechnology or renewable energy. These projects not only prepare students for their future careers but also contribute to society as a whole.

In many cases, university STEM programs develop partnerships with local communities, allowing students to work on projects that address pressing local issues. Of course this hands-on experience reinforces students’ learning; it also reinforces the idea that STEM is not just an academic pursuit.

By the time students reach university, they have often chosen their fields and are eager to apply their skills in meaningful ways. STEM education at this level provides the expertise, experience, and confidence to become contributors.

University STEM Projects: Community-Based Environmental Monitoring Project

A suggestion for university students is to apply their STEM skills to a real-world environmental issue. Have them partner with a local organization to monitor factors like water or air quality. They design and deploy a system to collect and analyze data, which will identify factors that can help address the issue. This project offers an opportunity to make a tangible impact on their community, and also shows the value of STEM on society.

Discipline-specific: STEM Projects as Related to Science, Technology, Engineering or Math

Now so far, we’ve looked at STEM projects through the lens of grade-level. Let’s take a look at STEM projects for a variety of disciplines. Of course, you can adjust these to make them age- and grade-appropriate.

Science-Focused Projects

Ecosystem in a Bottle: Have your students create a self-sustaining mini ecosystem inside a sealed bottle. You'll be able to help them see the interactions between plants, water, and air over time. Then, you could expand this project to include data collection on temperature, humidity, and plant growth; if you're looking for a cross-disciplinary project, this one works with both math and environmental science.

Chemical Reactions and Energy Transfer: Exothermic reactions are where energy is released, while in endothermic reactions energy is absorbed. Have your students explore these reactions by mixing common household chemicals and measuring temperature changes. You can extend this project to physics by discussing energy transfer or to engineering by designing a heat exchanger.

DNA Extraction and Analysis: Students extract DNA from fruits like strawberries and analyze it using basic lab techniques, as shown in this link. This project can cross into technology with discussions on DNA sequencing and its applications in genetics, or into ethics in social sciences. 

Technology and Coding Projects

Build a Simple Video Game: If you've gotten your students into coding, have them use coding a coding platform like Scratch to design and code a basic video game. With a project like this you can integrate art (designing game characters), math (calculating scores or probabilities), and even storytelling, making it a true STEAM activity.

Smart Home Automation: Arduino is a fun way for students to program microcontrollers to automate simple home tasks. It's a good introduction to real-world projects, as they'll find how to control lights or monitor room temperature. This project crosses into engineering with circuit design, and physics by exploring sensors and electrical components.

Create a Data Visualization Tool: And some more coding! Have your students use coding languages like R to visualize data from scientific experiments, such as population growth or chemical reaction rates. This project can help your students see a connecton between technology, science, and math.

Engineering Design Challenges

From what we’ve heard, engineering design challenges are possibly the student favorite in STEM courses.

Bridge Building Challenge: For this classic STEM project, have your students design and build bridges using materials like popsicle sticks or spaghetti, then test their strength. This project touches on physics (forces and materials science), math (geometry and measurement), and you could even add history, by exploring famous bridge designs. Some of our makerspace clients turn this into a competition, and students are always excited with it.

Renewable Energy Models: This project is very relevant to today's challenges. Have your students build small-scale models of wind turbines or solar panels, and test their efficiency. Have them also learn how electric power dams work. This project easily crosses into environmental science (sustainability) and physics (energy conversion).

Automated Plant Watering System: You can easily adapt the science project to many different age- and grade-levels. Help your students design a system that automatically waters plants based on soil moisture levels. This project integrates engineering with biology (plant growth requirements) and technology (sensors and automation).

Math in Action

Mathematical Modeling of Epidemics: (Does this sound annoyingly relevant?) Have your students use mathematical models to simulate the spread of a disease, applying concepts like exponential growth and probability. This project links math with biology and social studies, especially in discussions on public health. Love it or hate it, it's a bit less theoretical than it was a few years ago, too!

Geometry in Architecture: Help your students learn and explore how geometric shapes are used in building designs, then create their own architectural models. You can tie this project into engineering (structural integrity), art (design aesthetics), and history (cultural influences on architecture). One of our clients has their students (in teams) each 3D print one story of a building.

Statistics in Sports: Some of your students will love this! Have them analyze data from their favorite sports. See if they can determine player performance, using statistical methods like mean, median, and standard deviation. This project could be related to technology if students build a simple app to track and analyze data, and also possibly part of PE.

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Cross-Disciplinary Integration of STEM Projects

It's also highly valuable to integrate STEM projects across multiple disciplines. It means students have to apply their knowledge in different contexts: for example, combining a science project with an English presentation deepens their own understanding of the scientific concepts, and also improves their communication skills. They must clearly articulate their findings and explain complex ideas to an audience. This approach, where one STEM project reaches across traditional class boundaries, helps kids prepare for real-world scenarios: life problems are often multifaceted and require a range of skills and perspectives to solve.

Following are some ideas that reach across classes:

Sustainable Urban Planning: Combine science (environmental impact studies), engineering (infrastructure design), technology (smart city concepts), and math (resource management) by having students design a sustainable city model.

Space Exploration and Colonization: Integrate science (astronomy and biology), engineering (spacecraft design), technology (simulation software), and math (orbital mechanics) in a project where students plan a mission to colonize another planet.

Human Impact on the Environment: Students can study the effects of human activity on local ecosystems, integrating biology (species impact), technology (data collection), math (statistical analysis), and social studies (policy and ethics).

Each of these project ideas offers opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. They allow students to see how STEM fields intersect and reinforce one another. By linking concepts across disciplines, teachers can help students understand the real-world applications of STEM and strengthen a deeper, more integrated understanding of these fields.

Makerspaces that have been using 3DPrinterOS to run their 3D print programs for any length of time consistently give this advice: set up user groups. Some of them create them by experience level, and others by discipline. Either way, it means admin staff can make data-driven decisions about potential equipment purchases, or if a particular class needs its own 3D printers, or if they should charge for personal projects. 

Project Complexity Levels in STEM Projects

Beginner-Level Projects: Building Foundations with Simple and Fun Activities

At the beginner level, the main point of STEM projects is to be accessible and engaging. Yes, you want to help students build foundational skills...but your main goal it to spark their interest in STEM. These projects typically involve straightforward tasks that emphasize creativity, exploration, and basic problem-solving. For example, one of our clients has their 3rd-grade students engage in a project where they design and 3D print an interlocking keychain for a classmate. This activity introduces them to design thinking—an essential STEM process—by encouraging them to think about what their classmate likes, instead of for themselves. They brainstorm ideas and create a tangible product, which give them confidence for the next project.

Remember, at this level, the focus is on making STEM approachable and fun. Get your students to experiment with different designs and materials, and let them see the immediate results of their work. They'll have plenty of opportunity for more complex tasks later on. These simple projects lay the groundwork, so you can make your students aware of their own abilities, and show them that STEM is everyone.

Intermediate-Level Projects: Encouraging Deeper Exploration and Creativity

As students grow more comfortable with STEM concepts, you can challenge them with intermediate-level projects. They'll need to dig deeper into the design process, experiment with more complex ideas, and start applying their knowledge to solve problems. At this stage, projects might involve building more intricate models, such as a simple robot that follows a line or a bridge that can support a specific weight. 

You might also have students work as a class to solve science questions that literally have not been solved before. One of the STEM classes we know of has students studying specific attributes of ice and water. They are measuring and recording their findings, in a quest to prove theories that have yet to be proved. These tasks require students to consider more variables and think critically about their designs.

At this level your main goal is to show students that STEM is an iterative process—one where failure is not just acceptable but an important part of learning. When students encounter obstacles or when a design doesn’t work as expected, they learn to view these challenges as opportunities for improvement. Often, having multiple iterations is mandatory in a STEM project. Students are encouraged to revise their designs, test new ideas, and keep going until they find a solution that works. This approach helps build resilience and problem-solving skills, both for STEM and life.

Advanced-Level Projects: Pushing Boundaries and Exploring Complex Problems

And of course, at the advanced level, students take on projects that require a high degree of creativity, critical thinking, and technical skill. This level in a makerspace is such an inspiring place to be. These projects might involve designing and programming an autonomous vehicle, developing a prototype for a new product, or conducting original research on a scientific question. We’ve seen students win scholarships because they saw a need, and their makerspace and STEM courses gave them scope to fill that need. The complexity of these projects means students can explore the full depth of their interests and push the boundaries of their knowledge.

And at this level, students are given more freedom to define their projects. They own the learning process and explore topics that are fascinating to them. The point is no longer to "make" them learn, and whether they're working independently or in teams, they're tackling real-world problems. Some of the ones we've heard of include creating medical devices that can function without electricity. With this level of complexity, students are certainly stimulated and challenged intellectually. It prepares them for future careers in STEM fields, where they will need these critical-thinking skills and the ability to collaborate effectively.

Setting up 3DPrinterOS Permissions Based on Experience Levels

As you set up your 3D print program in your STEM makerspace, you can use 3DPrinterOS to allow or restrict access to 3D printing capabilities. You can make it mandatory for students to complete tutorials or even a Canvas quiz. Some of our clients require their students to run a workshop and train others, in order to be allowed full access to the best 3D printers. On the other hand, you can set up new users – or young ones – to need a makerspace staff to review designs and setting, and actually start the 3D printer.

Creativity and Flexibility: Encouraging Students to Go As Far and Deep As They Want

STEM is a creative and flexible field, and it's important to keep that front and center as you develop your makerspace program. Success looks like students who know they can take their projects in new directions, explore different disciplines, and experiment with unconventional ideas. In a successful STEM program, students will be thinking outside the box - right from the early stages of learning design thinking, to when they're tackling advanced engineering challenges.

The Importance of Embracing Failure: Learning Through Iteration

The iterative process is one of the valuable lessons students learn through STEM. It’s okay to fail. In fact, failure is such an essential part of the learning process that some teachers require iterations as proof of learning. When students meet with setbacks—when a 3D print doesn’t turn out as expected, a robot misbehaves and doesn’t follow the correct path, or a mathematical model doesn’t predict the outcome accurately—these young people learn to analyze their results and try, try again.

Failure is a steppingstone toward success. By testing new ideas, iterating, and refining their approaches, students learn perseverance and adaptability. They come to understand that success in STEM (and in life) often comes from trial and error, and that each failure brings them one step closer to finding the right solution.

Resources and funding for your makerspace and STEM projects

Securing funding for makerspaces could be a massive research project on its own. We intend to put together and publish a list of recommendations that we’ve seen work. Again, subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter here.   In the meantime, keep the following in mind as you set up and run your makerspace.

Government Grants for Makerspaces and STEM Projects

National Science Foundation (NSF): NSF offers grants for educational initiatives, especially those promoting STEM education. Makerspaces often fit well into these categories, as they encourage hands-on learning and innovation.

Department of Education: Some makerspaces in K-12 schools and community colleges receive funding from government education programs aimed at enhancing STEM resources.

State and Local Grants: Various states have grants or funding pools to promote technological literacy and community engagement through makerspaces.

Corporate Sponsorships for STEM projects

Construction and Engineering Firms: Construction companies can provide makerspaces with building materials like wood, metal, and concrete for structural or prototyping projects. These materials are essential for projects related to architecture, civil engineering, or infrastructure.

Manufacturers and Local Businesses: Local businesses, especially those in technology, engineering, or manufacturing, may sponsor makerspaces to support workforce development and engage with future innovators. We’ve also seen businesses who very generously support with in-kind donations, such as hand tools or electronic components, that enable students to do more.

Revenue-generating Makerspace Models

Memberships and Classes: Some makerspaces adopt a membership-based model or offer paid workshops and classes, generating ongoing revenue to support operational costs.

Public-Private Partnerships: Universities and schools often collaborate with industries that can benefit from the makerspace by hosting innovation challenges, internships, or co-development projects.

We would love to know more about your makerspace and STEM projects. Feel free to get in touch with us, if you’d like to see what we’re doing in makerspaces around the world. We’d love to provide a demo, so you can see for yourself how much easier it is to run all your 3D printers, and manage all your users, through a single platform.

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