Skip to main content

Engineering Week

Students participate in Engineering Discovery Day at Michigan State University.
Department of Transportation

Engineering Week

Engineers and technicians work together at MDOT to provide Michigan the highest-value transportation services for ensured safety, economic benefit and improved quality of life. Have your students join us for a crash course in civil engineering and transportation construction as we dive into automated vehicles, the M-30 bridge repair in Edenville, career readiness, and much more.  

From early elementary to high school seniors, the provided lesson plans below are an all-inclusive resource to show your students the career of civil engineering at MDOT.

Lesson plans are in accordance with 2015 MDE K-12 Science Standards. 

The Henry Ford Logo

Hydraulics: The Power of Nature Video

Hydraulics: The Power of Nature

Have you ever wondered what happens when a dam breaks? How about two dams at the same time? Listen and learn from Kimberly Zimmer, associate region operations engineer for the MDOT Bay Region, as she walks you through the events and response due to the catastrophic Wixom and Sanford Lake Dam failures.

The Power of Nature Lesson Plan 

Hydraulics Videos

Bridges & Inspection: Spanning New Horizons

Discover some insider information on the construction and operation of the world’s second largest bascule bridge deck! Bonnie Yu, senior contracts project manager, walks you through the steps it took to build this massive and fascinating structure!

Spanning New Horizons Lesson Plan

Bridges & Inspection Videos
Bridges & Inspection: Spanning New Horizons Video
Automated Connected Vehicles: The Future of Transportation Video

Automated Connected Vehicles: The Future of Transportation

Have you been in a connected and automated vehicle (CAV)? How do connected vehicles talk to each other anyways? Elise Feldpausch, MDOT connected vehicle specialist, takes you on an adventure discussing the safety benefits of CAV and why MDOT is involved in the CAV game in the first place.

The Future of Transportation Lesson Plan 

Automated Connected Vehicles Videos

CAD Design and Women in Engineering: Embracing Inclusive Engineering

Bringing old roads to current times! Listen in to Divya Iyer as she talks about all the cool and exciting new modernizations being included in our I-75 project. Wait until you hear about the gigantic tunnel boring machine!

Embracing Inclusive Engineering Lesson Plan

CAD Design & Women in Engineering Videos
CAD Design and Women in Engineering: Embracing Inclusive Engineering Video
Career Readiness: Introducing Students to the Civil Engineering Career Video

Career Readiness: Introducing Students to the Civil Engineering Career

Dynamic message signs, roadway weather information systems, and closed-circuit televisions are some of the devices that are helping to make our roads smarter. Shandre Huff will talk to you about these and more devices on Michigan roadways and how they are helping you get to your destination safer and more efficiently.

Introducing Students to Civil Engineering Lesson Plan

Career Readiness Videos