Well-designed physical models can substantially enhance the experiential component of engineering education. At a time when many children played more with computer games than physical objects, there is a particular need to impart a “gut feel” about mechanical forces and the physicality of structural elements. Engineering students need a connection with the real world, where consequences are real and often irreversible, unlike the virtual worlds of computer games, where humanoids jump 3 stories and are restored from mortal wounds by a keystroke.

G. Wayne Brodland