Learning from the World: The Nuts and Bolts of Canals

FALL, 2006-2007

In this expedition, students researched the reason for building canals as well as the design and engineering challenges of canals. They kicked off the expedition by traveling to Bethlehem, PA to take part in the World Canals Conference. There they gathered information about how the uses of canals have changed over time, and they explored ways Rochester might learn from canal successes all over the world.

The expedition continued with an investigation of the special features of canals in Europe and how such features might be used in a revitalization project in Rochester.

For its final product, the class created an educational brochure to distribute to the Rochester community. The brochure contained information about the changes in canals in Europe, as well as fundamental physics principles involved in building and maintaining canals.