I sometimes give my sophomore engineering physics students lab projects
where they work primarily outside of class in groups to learn some physics
and at the same time engage in hands-on activities which engineering
students tend to really enjoy. I have used, the perhaps overused, mousetrap
engines where they conduct experiments on mousetraps and learn how to
analyze spring-energized rotating objects as well as generate energy
transfer mechanisms for various kinds of cars. Another successful one was
to design a package to keep hamburgers warm at fast food places. They had
to develop material on Newton's law of cooling and other thermodynamics
principles which were not covered in class.
I am looking for new ideas for a student project, and would appreciate any
feedback.