Influence of Science, Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural World

Primary School (K-2)

  • Every human-made product is designed by applying some knowledge of the natural world and is built using materials derived from the natural world.
  • Taking natural materials to make things impacts the environment.

Elementary School (3-5)

  • People's needs and wants change over time, as do their demands for new and improved technologies. Engineers improve existing technologies.
  • Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits, to decrease known risks, and to meet societal demands.
  • When new technologies become available, they can bring about changes in the way people live and interact with one another.

Middle School (6-8)

  • All human activity draws on natural resources and has both short and long-term consequences, positive as well as negative, for the health of people and the natural environment.
  • The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural resources, and economic conditions.
  • Technology use varies over time and from region to region.

High School (9-12)

  • Modern civilization depends on major technological systems. Engineers continuously modify these technological systems by applying scientific knowledge and engineering design practices to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks.
  • Engineers continuously modify these technological systems by applying scientific knowledge and engineering design practices to increase benefits while decreasing costs and risks.
  • New technologies can have deep impacts on society and the environment, including some that were not anticipated.
  • Analysis of costs and benefits is a critical aspect of decisions about technology.

The connections to engineering are found in the crosscutting concepts section of the foundation box on a standards page.

Other Standards That Use This Connection to Engineering, Technology and Applications: