Students will launch the disaster engineering project by observing local hazard evidence, building shared background knowledge about how natural hazards change land and affect people, and beginning to frame the community problem they will solve. They will use maps, photos, station evidence, and a community expert visit to record observations, separate evidence from inference, and identify early criteria and constraints for disaster-readiness solutions. By the end of the phase, each student will have started a design notebook and drafted a short first-person science narrative entry connected to the project challenge.

Students will analyze local hazard evidence, learn how engineers define a community problem, gather stakeholder and source information, and produce a complete design brief with measurable criteria, constraints, and research-based notes about possible disaster-risk solutions.

Students will generate several disaster-readiness concepts, use evidence and design requirements to compare them, and refine their ideas through structured critique before teams move into concept selection.

Students will compare earlier hazard-solution concepts with a weighted decision matrix, justify one team choice using evidence from their design brief and investigations, and prepare a clear build-and-test plan for Phase 5. They will use peer critique and a teacher checkpoint to strengthen criteria, constraints, materials choices, and data collection methods before building.

Students will build and test rapid disaster-solution prototypes using the criteria, constraints, and test plans developed earlier. They will collect measurable evidence, compare results to design goals, use peer and teacher feedback to identify weaknesses, and document data clearly enough to justify the first round of revisions in the next phase.

Students will study prototype test results, revise their disaster-protection solutions using evidence, confirm improvements with a second test, and prepare exhibit materials and a science-based first-person narrative for the Hazard Hero Museum Walk.

Students will present their final disaster guidebook displays and tested prototypes to authentic visitors, communicate science learning through first-person narratives, gather audience and peer feedback, and reflect on how evidence, criteria, constraints, and revision shaped their final solutions.