Conference Session

Project-Based Student Learning: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jay Porter, Texas A&M University; Joseph Morgan, Texas A&M University; Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

programs towards product/system development. While the Programs will always delivera well-rounded curriculum that prepares students for general careers in the Electronics andTelecommunication industries; the faculty believes, like many other programs, in the importanceof producing graduates that understand innovation and entrepreneurship as well as thetechnical/engineering fundamentals.1,2 For this reason, the curriculum has been changed overtime to provide students with the requisite technical expertise and a strong background in projectmanagement that allows them to understand the planning process behind product and systemdevelopment. Since 2002, the Programs have refined their capstone design course sequence torequire all students to: form a

Conference Session

Methods and Techniques in Graduate Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bimal Nepal, Texas A&M University; Paul Lin, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

fortheir Master’s Project. In other words, they will provide them with the opportunity to exploretheir potential research areas for their MS Project. Furthermore, having an additional course inthe same area as their field of interest will provide them with sufficient time to accomplish ascholarly work. Consequently, such courses will better equip them for post graduation career inthe today’s competitive world.MS Tech Program at IPFWThe Master of Science in Technology at the Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne(IPFW) was formally launched in the Spring Semester of 2007 with an enrollment of six fulltimes students. The enrollment since then has increased almost four fold but the actual activestudent number is slightly less because of

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Endeavor

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Brocato, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

authentic engineering situations. The first case study, “The Pendergrass Circuits E-mail,” is a one-page story that literally puts students into the narrative as a character, requiringthem to read, analyze, discuss, and reflect on the story’s details before deciding what sorts ofactions and written documentation are necessary. The second case study involves close analysisof the space shuttle Challenger disaster, in particular the written and oral communication thattook place prior to the disaster itself. As this paper shows, using case studies as described herecan provide students with valuable exposure to the types of decisions they might have to make intheir professional careers while also providing engineering programs with a sound method

Conference Session

Bridging the Gap and Freshman Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nelson Baker, Georgia Institute of Technology; Marion Usselman, Georgia Institute of Technology; Thomas Morley, Georgia Institute of Technology; Rick Clark, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

Recruiting, Preparation, and CommunicationEffective communication with potential students about the Distance Calculus program is anessential component to a successful experience. The communication must start early, continuethroughout the program, and provide the students with accurate and timely information. Studentsshould hear as early as possible in their high school career about the course requirements in orderto ensure that they have the proper qualifications for eligibility. Ideally, this communicationshould begin in the 9th grade so that students can plot a path that allows them to complete APCalculus by their junior year. Potential students also need to make sure they have taken the SATor ACT and the AP Exam in time for admission into the

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hamid Vakilzadian, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Dietmar Moeller, University of Hamburg

program into its electrical engineering degree program.The educational objectives follow.3. Educational GoalsThe overall goal of the M&S-based undergraduate program in electrical engineering is toprovide skilled, M&S practicing electrical engineers. The program needs to provide studentswith:≠ The technical knowledge and skills to enable them to have a successful career in the profession.≠ A general education to enable them to appreciate the social, ethical, economic, and environmental dimensions of problems.≠ The communication skills and social skills that are necessary to work effectively with others.≠ The ability to solve problems by learning what is already known and then applying logic and creativity to find a solution.≠ The

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Education: Innovation, International Cooperation, and Social Entrepreneurship

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cynthia Fry, Baylor University; Gregory Leman, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

technologies on a global scale than at any othertime.These realities have been well-documented by others, so we only note here one outcome– the emergence of a new paradigm for startup-ventures which are “born global 1”.Presutti et al. conclude that born-global ventures represent the final stage of developmentfor serial entrepreneurs and point to the development of a global network as an importantfactor in the readiness of the individual entrepreneur for a successful born-global launch. 2Whether or not a series of ventures is needed to prepare an individual for such a career-capping event, this model can serve as a guiding paradigm as educators design andexecute educational experiences that will accelerate the preparation of graduates for aworld in

Conference Session

Design, Build, Fly (DBF)/AIAA Student Competition/UA

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Rodrigue, Saint Louis University; David Safont, Saint Louis University; Alex Rees, Saint Louis University; Jim Maday, Saint Louis University; Francisco Vilaplana, Saint Louis University; Goetz Bramesfeld, Saint Louis University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

Page 14.299.2requirement is that the vehicle must be assembled and disassembled quickly and easily as to notdelay the specified mission. Prioritizing design parameters is an important task, but optimizingthe overall design will require definite tradeoffs. Understanding the optimization process is aninvaluable lesson that students must learn to embrace before and during their careers asengineers. Projects like the Bumblebee provide students with the opportunity design their owntrade studies prior to entering the work environment. II. The Team The team in charge of designing and building the Bumblebee consists of five senioraerospace engineering students. Although the core team only consists of

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hazem Tawfik, State University of New York; K. Shahrabi, State University of New York, College of Technology at Farmingdale; Beverly Kahn, Farmingdale State College - State University of New York

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

Engineering Education, 2009 The Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Degree in Engineering TechnologyAbstractThe Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Degree in Engineering Technology (ET) is a newdegree option created to meet growing industry needs for technologists with broad backgroundand experience to provide rewarding career and academic opportunities for undergraduates inscience, technology, business and health majors. According to the Council of Graduate Schools(CGS), this program involves not only advanced disciplinary study in engineering andtechnology, but also an appropriate array of professional skill-development activities to producegraduates highly valued by employers and fully prepared to

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yunjun Xu, University of Central Florida; Zahed Siddique, University of Oklahoma; Charles Remeikas, University of Central Florida; Xiaojun Geng, California State University, Northridge; Sagar Chowdhury, University of Oklahoma; Chen Ling, University of Oklahoma

ahead in their future study andfuture career. After the module design is complete, it can be used in class to assist the instructoras an auxiliary teaching tool, and played by students after class. Page 14.643.12The module covers the following topics: (1) what is electrical engineering and which areelectrical system? (2) What are the different fields of electrical engineering? (3) What kinds ofcourses need to be learned? (4) What kind of assistant is available on campus to help learning?(5) How to have fun while studying EE? (6) What kind of careers do ECE majors commonlypursue? For each of the above topics, multiple specific questions are

Conference Session

Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Laboratories

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Atin Sinha, Albany State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

students are required to enroll in a sophomore level introductory engineering course called“Principles of Engineering Analysis and Design” which is a prerequisite to all the 2000 levelengineering courses and as such treated as a gatekeeping course for the engineering program.The course is taught in the third semester with Pre-calculus as the prerequisite. This course iscomparable to any other “Introduction to Engineering” course taught in virtually everyengineering program and covers such topics as career opportunities, survival skills, team work,communications, ethical practices. Our course also reinforce the concepts learned in Algebra andPre-calculus with brief exposure to differentiation and integration, linear algebra, complexvariables and

Conference Session

Building Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ali Ansari, Virginia State University; Jahangir Ansari, Virginia State University; Krishan Agrawal, Virginia State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

established to pursue the following twoobjectives: 1. To introduces rising high school seniors to STEM fields and boosts their desire to select a STEM field for further study and as a potential career. 2. To prepare students for admission to the STEPNSF-DuPont Summer Science and Engineering Program (DuPont) (Supported by T-STEM,DuPont, and Department of Education). This is a non-residential summer program for 10th-12thgraders. This program has the following objectives: 1. To increase the interest of pre-college minorities and females in STEM 2. To strengthen the academic background of pre-college minority and female students in areas necessary in entering a STEM field 3. To prepare minority and female pre-college

Conference Session

Assessing Design Course Work

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rhonda Young, University of Wyoming; April Heaney, University of Wyoming; James Kladianos, Wyoming Department of Transportation

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

AC 2009-629: ASSESSING WRITING IN A COMPREHENSIVE DESIGNEXPERIENCE COURSERhonda Young, University of Wyoming Rhonda Young is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Young received her doctorate in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington in 2002. Prior to a career in academics she worked for 11 years as a consultant in the transportation field. Her research interests are in transportation planning and intelligent transportation systems. Dr. Young teaches a wide variety of courses in the transportation field including the Comprehensive Design Experience course.April Heaney, University of Wyoming April Heaney

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Education: Crossdisciplinary Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jorge delosRios-Hurtado, Texas Tech; David Wyrick, Texas Tech

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

Accounting• Required Engineering Foundation Course for Business Students: - IE 4320, Fundamentals of Systems• Required Courses for All Certificate Program Students: - MGT 4376, Entrepreneurship II: Discovering Entrepreneurial Opportunity - IE 4331 Individual Studies in Industrial Engineering: Engineering EntrepreneurshipAlso, the area of Management at the Rawls College of Business Administration (COBA) isdeveloping an Entrepreneurship and Family Business Program that utilizes two sequentialfoundation courses (Entrepreneurship Creation and Entrepreneurship Discovery) to preparestudents to exploit any three additional courses as the “practice ground”, and to generateactionable opportunities regardless of their major or career settings, be it

Conference Session

Attitudes, Self-Confidence, and Self-Efficacy of Women Engineering Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

for the greater good and canhelp people in poverty. This branch works more directly with the people who it serves than otherbranches of engineering. I really like this focus on service and in whatever I do, I want to helpmake the world a better place." She was deciding between a career in EVEN or becoming adoctor.Some example quotes from female students in the Civil Engineering class include: “[I enjoyed] physics and math classes in high school… but I thought that a career should have a greater impact on people.” “This part of engineering takes into account public welfare and works for the benefit of society by building structures that help to make the world a safer place with higher standards.”One of the female students in the

Conference Session

Active Engagement: From the New Engineering Librarian's Perspective

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Jane Dooley, Dalhousie University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

literacy, and collection development, fostering connections andcollaborating with faculty in order to build specific programs is crucial to success on the job, andsupports the career portfolio required for promotion.For the purposes of this paper, a “new” librarian is defined as someone who graduated from alibrary program within the last five years. The author graduated from Dalhousie University’sSchool of Information Management with a Master of Library and Information Studies in 2005.She completed a two-year internship at the Sexton Library and started working thereprofessionally upon graduation. She is one of three librarians on the Sexton Campus. All of hersubject specialties fall under the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science

Conference Session

SE Curriculum and Course Management

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Francis Lutz, Monmouth University; James McDonald, Monmouth University

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

whilecontributing to the optimal achievement of the organizational mission. In the most general sense,the CPD program should enable a career path available to every employee which allows theircontributions to the mission of the organization to be optimal. The implication here is that for theprogram design to contribute to the mission of the organization, it should be aimed at optimizingthe success of the individual employee.Guidance to professional staff on the desired substance of a personal continuing professionaldevelopment program is essential to the ultimate achievement of the organizational mission. Tothis end, the SEC has developed a series of roadmaps of instruction for technical employees. TheSystems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering

Conference Session

Measurement Tools

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Carberry, Tufts University; Matthew Ohland, Purdue University; Hee-Sun Lee, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

, G., et al., Gender, ethnicity, and social cognitive factors predicting the academic achievement of students in engineering. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1992. 39(4): p. 527-538.34. Schaefers, K.G., D.L. Epperson, and M.M. Nauta, Women's career development: Can theoretically derived variables predict persistence in engineering majors? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1997. 44: p. 173-183.35. Schmidt, J., et al. Social cognitive career theory as an approach to understanding retention in engineering majors. in American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition. 2001. Albuquerque, NM

Conference Session

Critical issues in IT and IET: Focus Group

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shoji Nakayama, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

A Systematic Process to Validate Safety, Health & Environmental Management Curriculum through Academic Advisory CommitteeAbstractOne of the main goals for academic institutions is to prepare students for employment inindustry; not only to serve such industry but also to serve our community, country, and theworld. It is essential for institutions to align their program outcomes and course objectives withcustomer (business and industry) needs. Not preparing our students to meet those needs couldlead to an unsuccessful job placement and could also negatively affect the credibility of anintuition. Essentially, students who enroll in the program will need to acquire knowledge andskills necessary to become successful in their careers

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Fleming, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Vedant Jain, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Robert Landers, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Hong Sheng, Missouri University of Science and Technology; Richard Hall, Missouri University of Science and Technology

[13], and general and career interest in science and enjoyment in science, adaptedfrom Fraser [14]. Next, the participant was given a very brief introduction of the Linear AxisRDS and instructed in how to “think aloud” [15] as they performed the tasks. The participantwas then given a list of tasks to perform. The list consisted of three tasks that covered most of thefunctionality of the Phase I Linear Axis RDS: Task 1: Select and simulate the controller. Generate model. Task 2: Select and emulate the controller. Generate model. Task 3: Go back and implement a pre–existing controller.The participants were occasionally prompted during the process with questions like “what areyou thinking right now?” and “what is going on in

Conference Session

Issues and Direction in ET Education and Administration: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Enrique Barbieri, University of Houston; Wajiha Shireen, University of Houston; Farrokh Attarzadeh, University of Houston; Raresh Pascali, University of Houston; Miguel Ramos, University of Houston; William Fitzgibbon, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

. ¬ ENGL I and II, and HUM-SS I and II, are typical composition courses and humanities or social science electives, respectively. ¬ Circuits I and II, and Physics I and II are calculus-based. ¬ Computer Programming (CMP PGM) is a course on computer-based engineering problem solving. ¬ The courses E & ET I-IV could be designed to keep the students engaged throughout the curriculum. These would play a significant role in reinforcing the CDIO philosophy, in advising/retention and career planning, in clarifying the differences in the academics of E and ET programs, and in helping the students identify their strengths and interests; the sequence gives opportunities to cover topics in innovation, creativity & design

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University; Keisha Walters, Mississippi State University; Bill Elmore, Mississippi State University; Rebecca Toghiani, Mississippi State University; Rafael Hernandez; Priscilla Hill, Mississippi State University; Hossein Toghiani, Mississippi State University; Todd French, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

AC 2009-2241: CROSS-CURRICULAR TOPIC INVENTORY: STRATEGIC TOPICPLACEMENT AND RESULTING STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITYAdrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University Adrienne Minerick is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Mississippi State University. She received her PhD and M.S. from the University of Notre Dame and B.S. from Michigan Technological University. Since joining MSU, Dr. Minerick has taught the graduate Chemical Engineering Math, Process Controls, Introduction to Chemical Engineering Freshman Seminar, Heat Transfer, and Analytical Microdevice Technology courses. In addition, she is an NSF CAREER Awardee, has served as co-PI on an NSF REU site, PI on grants from NSF and

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nhut Ho, California State University, Northridge; Robert Ryan, California State University, Northridge

from faculty, the 2001 ABET review, theMinority Engineering Program, industry, alumni, graduating seniors, and otherstakeholders, have sought to impart design concepts and related computational tools atthe lower division to improve student preparation for the senior design capstone courseand their future careers. These changes resulted in a mechanical design sequence ofcourses (shown in Figure 1) that comprise of the freshman orientation course ME101, theone-year sophomore design sequence ME286AB, the junior-level machine design courseME330, and a year of senior design. In this paper, this sequence will be referred to as thedesign-stem sequence. ME101 Intro ME286A ME286B ME330 ME486A/B to

Conference Session

Assessment of K-12 Engineering Programs and Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Doug Kueker, Vivayvic; Pam Newberry, Project Lead the Way

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2009-307: ANALYZING RIGOR AND RELEVANCE IN SCIENCE ANDMATHEMATICS CURRICULADoug Kueker, Vivayvic The Instructional Design and Curriculum Evaluation Lead for Vivayic, Inc. Prior to joining Vivayic, Inc., in September 2006, Doug worked for the National FFA Organization as a Project Management Specialist. In his professional career, Doug has led and participated in more than 25 national curriculum design, development, implementation, and evaluation projects. He received his M.S. Ed from Purdue University in December 2007and holds a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Science Education from the University of Missouri. Address: 69 Eagle Crest Road, Lake Ozark, MO 65049 Telephone: (573) 286-0597 E

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics - Courses and Curricula

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald McEachron, Drexel University; Sheila Vaidya, Drexel University; Stacey Ake, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

. Multiple writing assignments arebuilt into each WI course with the proviso that each assignment go through multiple drafts.Students work with specially trained tutors who review each draft and work with students toimprove their writing as the students proceed from draft to draft. Thus, unlike a term or researchpaper which may have at most two drafts and often only one, these writing assignments arereviewed and revised several times to ensure that lessons about effective communication arethoroughly learned. By selecting courses in a developmentally appropriate manner, students’progress in communication skills can be tracked over their academic careers. This provides fortimely intervention should adequate progress not be observed. In addition, the

Conference Session

Software and Hardware for Educators I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rosario Gil, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Elio Sancristobal, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Sergio Martin, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Antonio Colmenar, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Gabriel Diaz, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Martin Llamas, Universidad de Vigo; Edmundo Tovar, Polytechnic University, Montegancedo; Alfonso Duran, Carlos III University of Madrid; juan peire, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia; Manuel Castro, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

country and their own interests. ̇ Academic aspects, this is the most important part, or at least it should be. Studies aimed at the more practical or vocational clashed with the design of some careers in particular with the traditional engineering degrees.Beyond these commonalities, each country must deal with various obstacles wherever its currenteducational system differs from the new European model. In Spain, the current model hadmainly two types of degrees: “Diplomatura” and technical engineering (3-year); and“Licenciatura” and engineering degree (5 or 6-year). 3-year degrees would be equivalent to aBS/BSc and 5-year degrees would be equivalent to a MA/MSc. However, these degrees are notexactly equivalent. 3-year degrees

Conference Session

Engineering Design: Implementation and Evaluation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shanna Daly, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

continue to presentdefinitions of design, it is more interesting to point out that none of these definitions thatcould be presented come from professionals who design on a regular basis as a part oftheir careers. The lack of understanding design from this perspective prompted theresearch study presented in this paper. My search to find a research approach to addressthis question of how professional designers understood what it means to design lead toinvestigations on an approach called phenomenography. This approach yielded resultsthat contributed to understanding the broad picture of what it means to design. Theintention of this paper is to emphasize the design and outcomes of phenomenography as aresearch approach. Presenting the research design

Conference Session

Professional Issues in Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Welch, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

as a technical course that requires a labcomponent. The underlying thought being that engineering students will have numerouslaboratory experiences within their engineering academic career and being able to get acourse on the history of modern engineering which counts toward a core requirementearly in their career will provide them an unique insight into engineering. Additionally,the creative hands-on laboratory experiences and associated data collection willencourage some of the non-engineering students to consider switching to engineering!The presentation of engineering in the modern world within ENGR 1200 at UT Tyler alsoincludes laboratory experiences for the freshmen engineering students. These laboratoryexperiences come from the Summer

Conference Session

ERM Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Snyder, Taylor University; Elise Romines, Taylor University; Rachel Dodge, Taylor University; Jason Kruegar, Taylor University; Travis Booth, Taylor University; Josh Gates, Taylor University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

14.907.2Background of Program For four years, Taylor University’s HARP program has been providing students withthe opportunity apply their technical science and math instruction to interesting and relevantproblems. The unique experience of a high-altitude balloon launch, including team-basedproblem solving, prototyping, construction and testing of experimentation, and the “hard”deadline of a launch, gives students a taste of real-world project experience, and has helpedTaylor students be competitive as they pursue education and career goals beyond theundergraduate level. A student participant in the HARP curriculum component of a 2006Introduction to Electronics class said, “Working on the balloon project was an excellentopportunity to put theory

Conference Session

International Study Abroad Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Hornfeck, Lafayette College; Antonia Gohr, Jacobs University Bremen

Tagged Divisions

International

significant part of their undergraduate career. With the program now five years into itsexistence, the Engineering Division at Lafayette, along with the Off-Campus Study Office, mightwell consider a comparative study of engineering graduates at the 5-year mark in their careers,and the effect that studying abroad has had on their personal and professional lives.The tailor-made program described in this paper has been designed according to specificrequirements and conditions of both Lafayette College and Jacobs University. As shown, such aprogram is shaped by complex structures. However, the successful elements presented here canserve as guidelines for other institutions that plan to establish similar partnerships. Table 1 belowsummarizes the key

Conference Session

Early Engineering Design Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shawn S Jordan, Purdue University; Nielsen Pereira, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

EngineersAbstract Hands-on learning experiences and interactive learning environments can be effective inteaching K-12 students. Design, in essence, is an interactive, hands-on experience. Engineeringdesign can be taught in the classroom using innovative hands-on projects, such as designing andbuilding serve to teach design, promote creativity, and provide opportunities for hands-onproblem solving, in addition to giving students experience working in cooperative teams. In turn,these experiences could encourage students to consider future careers in engineering and science. This paper explores findings from data collected during the authors’ recent experienceteaching a group of fifteen 4th – 6th grade students enrolled in a 6-week Saturday