Lightning Strikes Thrice - Empire State Building

Description: Many people believe that lightning never strikes the same place twice but this video clearly shows that this is not true. A lightning rod consists of three main parts: a lightning rod at the top of a structure, a conducting wire, and a ground rod. This design allows electricity from the lightning strike to pass through directly to the ground without moving through the structure. This protects the structure and the people inside from possible fire and electrocution. This video shows that severe weather occurs in predictable ways and that humans must develop designs that can protect ourselves.

Web Resources:  Lightning Rod - Wikipedia, Next Gen Lightning Protection - Extreme Tech

UAE Building a Mountain to Increase Rainfall

Description: The UAE is exploring the idea of building a mountain to increase rainfall in the area. The government has already used cloud seeding in the area to increase rainfall and is currently exploring a mega-project to build a mountain. This could be used as an anchoring phenomenon in a unit on weather and climate. The design solution would mimic the role of mountains in affecting climates around the world.

Web Resource: Independent - UAE to Build ‘Fake” Mountain

Stilt Houses

Description: Stilt houses are built on pilings to avoid local weather conditions like storms and flooding. This engineering design solution allows humans to reduce the impact of weather-related hazards. Students can evaluate the merits of this solution or design solutions of their own for a local environment.

Web Resources: Stilt House - Wikipedia, Make it Right