Students will enter the project through a Texas drought case, examine how plant systems relate to survival under heat stress, and begin defining the engineering problem they will solve for a local grower.

Students will investigate how plant structures and drought-response processes connect to a local Texas crop-loss problem, then use that evidence to define a stakeholder-centered engineering problem, measurable criteria and constraints, and a design brief that prepares teams to compare solution options in the next phase.

Students will compare multiple plant-survival concepts, justify a prototype choice with a weighted decision matrix, and build a small-scale model plus test plan tied to measurable drought-survival criteria for Texas growers.

Students will test their plant-survival prototypes with the same criteria and measures established earlier, analyze quantitative results, revise based on evidence and peer or expert feedback, and prepare a stakeholder-ready mini showcase that explains what improved, what trade-offs remained, and why their recommendation is justified for Texas heat and drought conditions.

Students will present their tested Texas plant-survival solutions to an authentic audience, explain the biology and engineering evidence behind their choices, gather stakeholder feedback during the Survive the Heat Fair, and record a brief final reflection on how their understanding changed.