The Coolest Idea Ever
Meet Frederick McKinley Jones and discover how engineering, invention, and a really cool idea helped solve a real-world problem.
What Happens When an Everyday Problem Inspires an Extraordinary Solution? ❄️
In The Coolest Idea Ever, Wesleigh, Waylen, and Waverly discover the story of Frederick McKinley Jones and explore how inventive thinking can help solve real-world problems.
💡 Meet Frederick McKinley Jones
Jones was an inventor and engineer
whose work helped transform
refrigerated transportation.
His story gives young adventurers
an opportunity to think about
engineering, transportation,
temperature, refrigeration,
and what can happen when someone
looks at a problem and decides
there has to be a better way.
That question sits at the heart of engineering.
And when something doesn't work quite right, engineers don't simply stop. They learn, improve, and try again.
🧊 There's STEM in Keeping Things Cool!
Frederick Jones's story opens the door
to exploring how engineers think about
temperature, refrigeration,
transportation, and moving
temperature-sensitive materials
from one place to another.
It also gives us a chance to think
about a deceptively simple challenge:
How do you keep something cold—
and how do you keep it cold
while it's moving?
Now It's Your Turn! 🍦❄️
You've watched The Coolest Idea Ever, listened to the Frederick Jones STEMBop, gone Beyond the Episode, listened to the podcast, and explored the Frederick Jones book recommendation.
You've learned how an inventor and engineer helped tackle the challenge of keeping things cold while they move. Now it's time to experiment with a cold challenge of your own.
🍦 Ice Cream in a Bag
Combine the ice-cream ingredients in a smaller bag, place that bag inside a larger bag containing ice and kosher salt, seal everything carefully, and then shake for 5 to 10 minutes. Watch what changes as the ingredients stay in motion while surrounded by the cold mixture.
Think Like a Refrigeration Engineer
As you shake your ice cream, pay attention to what happens inside both bags. Ask yourself: What is changing? What feels colder? Why might keeping something cold while it moves be an important engineering problem?
Frederick Jones helped make keeping things cool an engineering challenge worth solving.
Now see what you can make cool!