Conference Session

Best Zone Paper Competition

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Hunter, Georgia Institute of Technology; Dwayne Henclewood, Georgia Institute of Technology; Marion Usselman, Georgia Institute of Technology; Mshadoni Smith, Georgia Institute of Technology; Laurie Garrow, Georgia Institute of Technology; Angshuman Guin, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Council of Sections

table. The camp was very effective in increasing students’awareness of transportation engineering (means across both camps increased from 2.05 to 3.89),helping students understand how transportation engineering research relates to the real world(mean=4.63), and helping students understand career opportunities in transportation engineering(mean=3.95). This is also revealed in comments from the students: “The Georgia Tech campwas an excellent experience for me. Now I have a better understanding of what civil engineeringis. Now every time I’m at a traffic light, I will think about the engineers that work every day tomake this possible.” However, overall, the course was not as effective in encouraging students toconsider a career in transportation

Conference Session

Best Zone Paper Competition

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Gattis, University of Arkansas; Shannon Davis, University of Arkansas; Bryan Hill, University of Arkansas; Edgar Clausen, University of Arkansas; Christa Hestekin, University of Arkansas; Bradley Dearing, Illinois State University

Tagged Divisions

Council of Sections

need to introduce engineering and scienceto students at an early age in order to increase the number of students entering engineeringdisciplines. However, most students in the middle level grades (6th, 7th and 8th) are unaware ofopportunities in engineering and do not recognize engineering as a rewarding career option.Furthermore, research tells us that women and minority students are drastically underrepresentedin the engineering fields.1 To more effectively prepare students for engineering and sciencedegrees, K-12 students should be engaged in activities which develop the critical thinking skillsnecessary for solving problems in the real world. It is universally accepted that all studentbenefit from hands-on learning activities in the