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Sustainable STEM Lesson 4: Making Mushroom Material

Sustainable STEM Lesson 4: Making Mushroom Material
Contributors
Annette Sebuyira
Retired K-12 Educator | Beyond Benign, Inc.
Beyond Benign
Beyond Benign, Inc.
cover image with picture of shark and leaf and mushrooms and megaphone and a hand holding a cellphone
Summary
In this lesson, the students reflect on where their project is in the engineering design process and build their final product: a mycelium material cell phone case. They then create data tables that they will fill in throughout the growth process to help guide their product evaluation. This part of the unit takes approximately 10-15 days, depending on the growth of the mycelium which depends on classroom conditions.

This project came about from a collaboration between Beyond Benign and Steelcase.
Keyword Tags
Sustainable Design
Mycelium
Engineering Design
Renewable Feedstocks
Steelcase
File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)
04_making_mushroom_materials.docx
Link to external
Safety Data Sheet
Mycelium Materials
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.59877/IDRD3988
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
-Follow lab instructions
-Test variables and collect data
-Use principles to determine amount of additives used in final product
Object Type
Laboratory experiment
Activities/Technology (e.g., in-class activities, online games, hands-on activities/manipulatives, outreach, virtual tools, etc.)
Audience
Middle School
Common pedagogies covered
Collaborative/cooperative learning
Hands-on learning
Student-centered learning
Green Chemistry Principles
Waste Prevention
Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses
Use of Renewable Feedstocks
Reduce Derivatives
Design for Degradation
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
No Poverty
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
Aprons, goggles, gloves and masks(Optional).It is important to thoroughly sanitize the surfaces that the mycelium material will touch in order to prevent contamination from other, more aggressive fungi and bacteria (like black mold).
Grow.bio material, when handled properly, is safe. However, the material is not for human consumption and, when dry, may irritate airways if directly inhaled.
Teacher Recommendations or Piloting Data (if available)
It is important to note that this lesson will refer to Grow.bio materials, not Ecovative materials.
Grow.bio, the educational spin-off of Ecovative Design, is where grow-it-yourself mycelium materials can be purchased.
NGSS Standards, if applicable
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

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Annette Sebuyira
Published on
Moderation state
Published
Collection
Sustainable STEM Unit
Time required (if applicable)
10–15 days total*: Day 1: 45 minutes; Days 2 through 14: 5 minutes; Final day: 45 minutes *Depending on speed of mycelium growth, which relies on classroom conditions
Related Learning Objects
Sustainable STEM Overview
Sustainable STEM Lesson 1: Beginning an Investigation by Gathering Evidence
Sustainable STEM Lesson 2: Using Engineering Design to Make a Prototype
Sustainable STEM Lesson 3: Life Cycle
Sustainable STEM Lesson 5: Testing the Cell Phone Cases
Sustainable STEM Lesson 6: Presenting a Sustainable Solution
Sustainable STEM: Fabulous Fabrics
Sustainable STEM: Polymer Properties
Sustainable STEM: Surefire Sharklet Lab
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.