In cooperation with ScienceVenture we use Megawatts and Marbles as a teaching tool for grades 4 to 11.
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The Game
How Megawatts & Marbles works
A game based, interactive workshop about our electricity system
Megawatts & Marbles is a fun, interactive, multi-player workshop developed by a group of PhD students at the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic) at the University of Victoria. We demonstrate how different types of power generation behave and how these different types of generation are integrated into the electrical grid.
Participants experience the challenges of balancing generation and demand, hands-on, by taking on the roles of power plants who must work together to meet time-varying demand. Electricity, represented by marbles, is transmitted down a track to the consumers - a model city. Will the generators meet the demand or will the lights go out?
Through this game the challenges of balancing generation and demand are experienced hands-on in the context of a transition to a "greener" electricity system with more renewable power.
Fun is in the focus of our workshops, as fun facilitates learning and understanding.
The game provokes questions and fosters enquiry-based learning and interactive discussions.
M&M is a social game; Team work and healthy group dynamics are essential essential skills.
The workshop is set up for several teams to compete: who can build the best (ie. "greenest") electricity system?
Together with Ben, Manuel developed the initial idea for the Megawatts & Marbles workshops. Now Manuel manages the project, takes care of business development, and runs workshops.
Benjamin Lyseng
Workshop Facilitator
Together with Manuel, Ben developed the initial idea for the Megawatts & Marbles workshops. Ben’s research on energy systems is the basis of the game, and it is this exhaustive knowledge about energy systems which Ben brings to our workshops.
Geoff Burton
Design, Purchase, and Manufacturing
Geoff is the handy man behind our game. He designed all the hardware, purchases materials, skillfully builds the models and makes sure the marbles always keep rolling well.
Rad is the latest add-on to our team. He will help us develop the game further and deliver more workshops.
“Megawatts & Marbles is a hands-on learning experience from start to finish. Participants discover the advantages and disadvantages of renewable and non-renewable sources of electrical energy and are challenged to generate electricity using environmentally friendly and sustainable means. In Manitoba, 97% of electricity generated is from hydropower and the benefits of this clean, renewable, and reliable source of power are quickly revealed in the game. Megawatts & Marbles can be adapted to suit a wide range of ages and knowledge levels and will be an excellent resource for educators. We are thankful that the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at the University of Victoria is willing to share this game and the knowledge of the team that created it.”
“Megawatts & Marbles is dynamic teaching tool for all ages that explores power systems. The concept that supply must equal demand is an important learning outcome that is reinforced though the game play. Students love feeding the marbles into the intricately designed power grid apparatus. The game promotes critical thinking around the complexity of energy systems and sustainability. “
“The workshop gave people, many of non-technical background, an understanding of how complex the balance of inputs vs outputs is when operating an electrical grid. The input sources to a grid can be varied and can include wind power, hydro power, solar power, gas turbine power, etc. Each source can have a multitude of factors eg. is there any wind? The other side of the equation is the output, the load,…. how fast will it increase or decrease, what is the maximum demand? When will that occur and how fast does the system need to be to be ready for that demand.
One attendant was a medical nurse and very non technical regarding power supplies. He commented just how great, yet how simple the learning experience was during this workshop.”
“We were impressed by the idea and the implementation of the game. M&M opens the way to involve visitors to our institute in a dialogue on energy issues. Both instructive and entertaining at the same time, with M&M our visitors can experience hands-on and on their own the challenges of a future energy system.”
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