The National Research Council has suggested that science classes need to become more active and authentic (NRC 1996). To help with this effort, Thayer Model Engineering was created several years ago as an inquiry science course at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, Vermont. Students apply the Thayer Model—a four-step problem-solving cycle—to identify and solve problems using science, math, and technology. Students define a problem, describe specifications, determine a solution, and redefine the problem, which begins a new cycle. Through iteration, each cycle becomes narrower in focus and more clearly defines the best final solution to the original problem. Once students become familiar with the model, they create and enter in a competition a new technology designed with the intent to improve the world.