Military History MP 3 Project: Developing Military Technology--Modern War

Project Description:

One of the major themes this marking period (and the class as a whole) is identifying and assessing the impact of new technologies on warfare.  Therefore, your project this marking period is to devise, design, and produce a functional piece of "military technology" that can be incorporated into our Nerf simulations.

This project is a follow-up project from the 2nd marking period.  For this project you are to devise a piece of military technology specifically associated with warfare from 1914-present.

Project Purpose:

The purpose of this project is to:

• make you think about the reasons behind changes to military technology in the modern era (you can base this upon what you've learned from the simulations we've run already and will continue to run).
• figure out how to solve a problem or create a new capability through the use of technology.
• provide the class with new technologies to work with, analyze, and potentially improve upon.

The Project Itself:

• As stated above, your project is to devise, design, and produce a functional piece of technology that we can incorporate into our simulations of modern warfare.  In order to do this effectively you should think about the following:

• What sort of problem to you want to solve or capability do you want to create?
• Will this technology be primarily offensive, defensive, or some combination of the two in nature?
• Will this technology have a very limited/specialized use or will it be applicable to a wide variety of situations?
• How simple/complex will this technology need to be in order to achieve its function?
• How many people will need to be equipped with it?  One "specialist" or the entire group?
• What are possible liabilities for this technology (size, weight, fragility, cost, etc.)?

With respect to designing and producing your piece, you may use certain finished goods (for example, if your design includes a flashlight, you can incorporate a finished flashlight, but if your project is a communication system, you may not just bring in a set of walkie-talkies).  Ultimately this is to be something ORIGINAL and designed and built BY YOU.  That said, you can be guided and inspired by historical technological developments.

In addition to developing your piece of technology, you are to prepare a presentation for the class (using Power Point or a comparable program) about your design process (including materials used and any research you did), the purpose of the technology and the need for it, your vision for it's use, and the finished piece.  This presentation should be approximately 5-7 minutes in length and is due with the finished project.

In addition to presenting the technology, it will also be subjected to use during Nerf scenarios intended to test its design and effectiveness.

Due Date:

• A proposal for your project, including a preliminary description of the technology itself and how you intend to make it, is due on Friday, March 6th
• The final project is due on Monday, March 23rd

Caveats:

• Your project is subject to my approval.
• Your project must be safe and be able to be safely deployed in class.
• Your project may not violate any stated school rules or policies (no open flames, for example)
• If your project is meant for gym use be sure it will not damage the floor.

Rubric:

Proposal complete and turned in on time:  10 points

Final Due Date met:  10 points

Presentation:  20 points

Final Project:  60 points (based on):

• Creativity, ingenuity, and quality of the design:  10 points
• Problem solved/capability enabled/value provided:  20 points (to be determined in part by the class as a whole)
• Functionality (does it work):  30 points (to be determined in part by the class as a whole)

Honors Students:

It is expected that your projects will reflect your status as honor's students.

Extra Credit:

In addition to this project, you may significantly improve your 2nd marking period project for extra credit points.  This must also be completed by March 23rd ad will be worth an additional quiz grade.