i need a project for my civil engineering class?

Contact your local chapter of the ASCE.

http://www.asce.org/

The will be able to help you out.

Make a electric generator out of magnets and copper wire. They are simple magnets and copper wire they can wind the field coils of wire themselves and mount the magnets on a cardboard or plastic (form a plastic bottle?) frame and actually generate electricity. then you can show how today’s led flashlights are just a hand crank generator feeding into batteries for storage and use. from there you can make a metal detector and they can cut the field form from common plastic bottles and they Can wind the field coils.

You can explain how the electrons are part of atoms and how they are produced ( from what?) by the generator they can be used make a large part of common items/effects that we use every day light heat to uncommon Items such as the new electronic space drive being used in a couple new space probes now exploring the solar system.

this has so much information and branches off to chemistry, physics, math,… you will have only trouble limiting what you say about each so the the main project does not get lost in the questions. it worked for me only I had no teacher and had to do it myself with a friend.

I would try to forget that which is expected, but also the hype of the modern wheel.

Why not have them plan a city pre-1600s?

The goal is to analyze the support systems of transportation, migration and irrigation. Have one team to analyze the historical solution and another to suggest a new system and its impact.

In this manner projects can be made for all students.