An aquarium is an exquisite combination of interacting systems which can be analyzed using multidisciplinary engineering principles. Children typically have personal aquariums for their pet fishes and visit some large aquarium as part of a school field trip or as part of their family outing. Movies such as Disney-Pixar's " Finding Nemo ", Epcot's Living Seas also make tremendous impact on a young audience. While these activities apparently raise the knowledge base in terms of nature and the environment, children seldom make a connection to the engineering principles playing out in the maintenance of a natural, commercial or personal aquarium. Therefore the idea of reverse engineering an aquarium is innovative and exciting. The idea will also have a broad appeal to a wide audience ranging from young children to engineering students. Educators are always being challenged to develop teaching tools that engage students' imaginations and provide a platform for integrating state-of-the-art modern technology into the undergraduate curricula. Therefore it is expected that the activities proposed will generate enthusiasm and enhance student understanding and learning. Students will be engaged in the scientific discovery process using exciting hands-on activities which will introduce chemical, mechanical, electrical engineering, civil and environmental principles.
