This program is aimed at the continuing changes in the designing and manufacturing world. New material and manufacturing processes are influencing what products we buy and how we use them. The use of robotics in manufacturing now allows more complex and intricate products to be made catering for wider range of differing needs. It also shows the impact that political, environmental, physical and social context has on the designing and manufacture of new products.
Grade levels: Senior High (10-12)
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Evaluating a Product
This program begins by looking at the concept of aesthetics in design, what aesthetics are and how they are used to enhance the beauty and appearance of a consumer product. It then takes an in depth look at how the qualities of a product are defined in the design process. Functional efficiency of a product and it’s incorporation into the design is an area which is carefully examined, followed by the impact its manufacture and disposal will have on the environment. Finally, every product has planned obsolescence built into its design and manufacture. A look at how manufacturers carefully balance quality and durability against a limited useful life of the product is also taken.
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The Soviet Muskox
In the exotic tundra of eastern Siberia a bizarre Canadian experiment is delivering extraordinary natural and human dividends. Featuring original footage of Muskox in the Siberian Badlands, The Soviet Muskox is the epic journey of the returning Muskox and the secret world into which they were placed and includes the dramatic new discovery of the spectacular Nickolai Mammoth.
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Super Beaver
This is the story of Nature’s Extreme Machine. We study the beavior of the Beaver from Argentina to Alberta and reveal insights into the role Beavers play in a larger ecosystem.
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The Language of Wolves
Three of the world’s leading experts share their intimate understanding of wolf behavior. John and Mary Theberge and Michael Runtz have spent a lifetime studying wolves and in particular, wolf language. Against the magnificent natural backdrop of one of the world’s greatest parks, we learn the nuances of wolf language and, in turn, perhaps better understand what they might be saying to us.
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The Moose: Canada’s Most Dangerous Animal
In Canada, more people are killed or injured in vehicular collisions with moose than by all other wildlife species combined. In Newfoundland, where moose densities are the highest in the world, there’s proof that it is indeed Canada’s most dangerous animal.
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Nature’s Stealth Fighter
The Owl’s huge, night-piercing eyes are like a radar, constantly surveying the environment. Once Nature’s Stealth Fighter focuses, its unique first strike capability allows the Owl to swoop in for the kill on swift, silent wings in the dark of night. For most, there is no defense against the Owl. Shot on film and employing the latest cinematography techniques, leading experts guide us to a greater understanding of the Owl and its place in a larger theater.
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Thelon: The Place Where God Began
The Thelon Game Sanctuary, located hundreds of kilometers north of the tree line, is a boreal oasis that should not exist. Rich with wildlife unparalleled on the Arctic barrens, it is both one of the world’s oldest and largest wildlife preserves and in First Nation’s legends revered as the place where God began.
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Weather Bombs
Massive in scale and scope, oceanic Weather Bombs are a new and deadly force of nature to be reckoned with. Yet, Weather Bombs remain illusive and unpredictable. They form suddenly and with little warning. Today, meteorologists scramble to understand and forecast their trajectory while the Coast Guard train elite, special teams to save countless victims. Weather Bombs blends storm science with an exhilarating and dangerous adventure on the high seas in the study of Mother Nature’s newest destructive power.
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Wild Tech
This is the exciting story of how scientists employ cutting edge technology on land, sea and in the air, to study the natural environment in amazing and heretofore impossible ways.