Celebrating James Watt

James Watt, a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, chemist, and creator of the Watt steam engine was born on January 19, 1736. A watt, the SI unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second, was named after James Watt. In addition, Watt’s contributions were fundamental to the Industrial Revolution around the world.  The Industrial Revolution contributed to an unprecedented rise in the rate of population growth and massive urbanization.  

To allow students to gain a better understanding of the differences between urban and rural areas, the Food Desert Maps activity defines what classifies an area as urbanized today.  Furthermore, this activity provides an opportunity for students to learn more about food deserts.  For the past several decades, the middle class migrated to the suburbs from city centers taking their grocery stores with them, leaving only convenience stores. These stores commonly lack an abundance of whole and unprocessed foods, meaning many low-income and urban families lack access to most of the foods that some take for granted.

To celebrate James Watt and his contributions in history, let’s take time to encourage students to be thankful for what they have and educate them about how urbanization shaped history.