Conference Session

Robot Mania!

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Meltem Alemdar, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jeffrey H. Rosen, Georgia Institute of Technology, CEISMC

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

awarded Georgia Tech a contract to develop online professional development (PD)courses for STEM teachers. Electronic professional development (ePDN) courses are designed tomodel best practices in teacher PD by incorporating inquiry-based learning and by promoting thetypes of active interaction and reflection by participants that normally occur in effective face-to-face professional development sessions. In this study, the collaborative online courses and theirimpact on teachers’ professional development are described. Additionally, a case study approachwas employed to examine the effectiveness of online PD courses in classrooms and schools.Each teacher experience after completing the robotics course was presented as a case, and eachcase was used

Conference Session

Design Communications & Cognition II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Caleb DeValve, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Richard M. Goff, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

other engineers will work through the first four stages of design as stated by Ullman [13] (product discovery, project planning, product definition, and conceptual design) in detail throughout the remainder of the semester. Aspects of the design process which have been stressed in this course should be reflected in your design team's methodology and approach to the problem. To culminate the course, a final report will be turned in to the instructor and a presentation will be made to the class regarding your design process and final design."The above project statement reflects the primary learning goals of the course, where the projectis intended to be the culmination of the course requirements. In addition to the above

Conference Session

Novel Approaches to Teaching Materials

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John A. Nychka, University of Alberta

Tagged Divisions

Materials

Page 22.1266.3concepts is an active process involving visual thinking; looking is not seeing, nor is seeingnecessarily believing, understanding, and being able to demonstrate knowledge. Upon viewing anew concept students often reflect about their own tacit knowledge and try to make a connectionto the new concept, thereby creating their own knowledge. Unfortunately, as educators we oftenassume we don’t have control, or even awareness, of such connections in each of our students’minds, thus it is exceedingly difficult to correct miss-steps along the way. However, by taking aproactive and creative approach, we can guide the visualization process through seeded commonexperiences generated in the classroom, study hall, or laboratory. Setting

Conference Session

Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel D. Jensen, U.S. Air Force Academy; Kristin L. Wood, University of Texas, Austin; Joseph J. Rencis, University of Arkansas; Ashland O. Brown P.E., University of the Pacific; Christina Kay White, Columbia University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

- and post-quizare recorded in Table 3 for each of the learning style categories. Recall that the learning stylecategories are paired. So a student is either “Active” or “Reflective”, either “Sensing” or“Intuitive”, either “Visual” or “Verbal” and either “Global” or “Sequential.” Therefore theaverage delta computed as ‫ ݖ݅ݑݍݐݏ݋݌‬െ ‫ݖ݅ݑݍ݁ݎ݌‬ ‫ ܽݐ݈݁ܦ‬ൌ ൬ ൰ ‫ݔ‬100 ‫ݖ݅ݑݍ݁ݎ݌‬is found and compared for each of these pairs of learning styles. The goal of this analysis is todetermine if one learning style is benefiting more from the ALM than another learning style.From Table 3, note, for instance, that the Delta

Conference Session

Design Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James M. Widmann, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Brian P. Self, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Lynne A. Slivovsky, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; J.Kevin Taylor, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

client’sneeds a service-learning pedagogy is employed. Service-learning occurs when “Students engagein community service activities with intentional academic and learning goals and opportunitiesfor reflection that connect to their academic discipline” (Cress et al, 2005)5. Reflection is anintegral part of learning and helps to develop critical thinking skills (Jacoby, 1996; Tsang, 2000;Tsang, 2002).6,7,8 The development of these critical thinking skills enables engineeringundergraduates to develop a broader appreciation of and ability to deal with the constraintsfacing the engineering profession and the ever changing world. Currently senior project designstudents are asked to reflect on their experiences in the form of monthly 500 word essays

Conference Session

New Faculty Development

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Walter W. Schilling, Milwaukee School of Engineering; John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University; Frederick Clayton Berry, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

minimum quantitative score that is desired across all axes. On a five pointscale, this minimum might be set to a value of 3.0. That does not mean that a score of below 3would be entirely inappropriate, but rather, a score below 3.0 might require reflection by thefaculty member.However, a department chair may also be looking for scores that are excessively high. Forexample, on a five point scale, scores of 4.5 and above might not be indicative of effectivenessbut of popularity. A professor who pushes students to the edge of their comfort zones mayreceive lower evaluations from weaker students, thus lowering their overall scores versus a Page

Conference Session

Ethical Perspectives on the Grand Challenges of Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Xiaofeng Tang, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

intriguingopportunity to reflect on how engineers imagine what engineering is and what its proper role insociety ought to be.This paper contributes one such reflection, carefully analyzing Grand Challenges as a way tointerrogate broader social and cultural meanings surrounding engineering, technology, and theirrelationships to major social and environmental problems. While sympathetic to the impulseunderlying the report, namely to direct engineering energies toward “the century’s greatchallenges,” 4 our analysis identifies key assumptions embedded in Grand Challenges that arelikely to constrain efforts to develop robust solutions. This paper argues that, in importantrespects, Grand Challenges relies on a problematic and increasingly outdated understanding

Conference Session

Sustainability and Humanitarian Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

% among civil engineering students and 26-29% of the environmental engineering students. In the special topic papers written by the civilengineering students for Homework 6, significantly more students discussed sustainability inrelation to their topic in the semesters that the course included a sustainability module (21-24%vs. previous 5%). In the final reflective essays at the end of the semester (homework 7), 60-86%of the students mentioned ethics; there were not specific trends over time or differences betweenthe civil and environmental engineering courses. The semesters with the sustainability modulesignificantly increased the discussion of sustainability by the students: 5% civil engineers beforethe module vs. 52 and 76% after the module

Conference Session

Digital Technologies and Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debra Gilbuena, Oregon State University; Ben Uriel Sherrett, Oregon State University; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

authors are grateful for support provided by the National Science Foundation’s Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program, under Phase 2 grant DUE-0717905. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Page 22.635.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Episodes as a Discourse Analysis Framework to Examine Feedback in an Industrially Situated Virtual Laboratory ProjectIntroductionFeedback has been shown to be one

Conference Session

Open-Ended Problems and Student Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark T. Carnes, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Monica E. Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

period. The MEA was launched in the laboratory setting which was facilitated by twoGTAs supported by four undergraduate assistants. Student teams of 3-4 students developedDRAFT 1 of their memo with procedure and results. This draft entered a double-blind peerreview process. In preparation for the peer review, students participated in a calibration exercisein which they practiced giving feedback on one prototypical piece of student work using theMEA Rubric, were provided an expert‟s review of that student work, and reflected on what theyneeded to do differently to improve their ability to give a peer review. For the actual peerreview, each student reviewed one other team‟s solution to the MEA. Each team was assigned atleast 3 peer reviewers. Each

Conference Session

Female Faculty, Learning, NSF, and ABET Issues at Two-Year Colleges

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicholas Massa, Springfield Technical Community College; Michele Dischino, Central Connecticut State University; Judith F. Donnelly, Three Rivers Community-Technical College; Fenna D. Hanes, New England Board of Higher Education

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

, andengage in highly structured “cookbook” type laboratory activities, PBL is open-ended andcontextualized, where student learning is driven by the problem itself.While a number of different approaches to PBL have been described in the literature since firstbeing introduced in medical schools in the 1970s, they all share the same basic learningprocess10. Working in small teams, students learn “how to learn” by engaging in a recursiveprocess that includes problem analysis, independent research, brainstorming, and solutiontesting. Figure 1 – Problem solving cycleIn PBL, students are presented with an open-ended problem with little or no content preparation.Working in small teams, they collaboratively reflect upon prior

Conference Session

WIED Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elaine R. Millam, University of Saint Thomas; Ronald J. Bennett, Univeristy of Saint Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Engineering degrees in 2005, but their proportion is smaller (30%) inmost S&E occupations. This is reflected in the study of “high technology” companies as well. 4However, NSF reports that more women than men have entered the S&E workforce over recentdecades. Their proportion in the S&E occupations rose from 12% in 1980 to 27% in 2007.Women in the S&E workforce are on average younger than men, suggesting that largerproportions of men than women may retire in the near future, changing the gender ratios.NSF data from the 2006 SESTAT5 data shows that, of the five S&E degree fields included, theratio of females to males is lowest for

Conference Session

Understanding Students and Faculty

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Vanasupa, California Polytechnic State University; Qiong Zhang, University of South Florida; James R. Mihelcic, University of South Florida; Julie Zimmerman, Yale University; Nina J. Truch, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

web-based open-access format toencourage change. The significance of this tool and its open format is that it provides theengineering education community with a way to participate in the broader development andrefinement of a tool that shows merit in assessing proxy indicators of students' readiness tocollaborate for sustainability. It has the potential to raise awareness of this limited proxyindicator of students’ readiness of collaborating for sustainable design. Our intent in making ittransparent is to foster a deeper reflection in the engineering education community aboutsustainable design and the hidden meaning within engineering curricula and cultures.Introduction: Why is this instrument needed?In 2007, the National Academy of

Conference Session

Qualitative Research Programs & International Research Experience from Around the World

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yating Chang, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Joe J.J. Lin, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Juila D. Thompson, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Yi Shen, Purdue University; Brent K. Jesiek, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Eckhard A. Groll, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Edwin Daniel Hirleman, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

International

and reflect ontheir IREE experiences, (2) allow professional and social network opportunities among theparticipants, and (3) assess the challenges and opportunities faced by the program participants.At the IREE re-entry meeting, individual hour-long interviews and two-hour thematic focusgroups were conducted with 56 participants.For the scope of this paper, we present and discuss select focus group and interview data relatedto three different themes: (1) gender differences, (2) second generation Chinese immigrants, and(3) African and Hispanic Americans. Preliminary data analysis reveals some of the unique issuesfaced by each student population, as well as some of the cultural images encountered inside andoutside of various cultural

Conference Session

Build Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Allison Kang, University of Washington; Lisa A. Peterson, University of Washington; Elena Maria Hernandez, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Successful Undergraduate Research Program for Science and Engineering UndergraduatesIf current trends continue, the percentage of whites in the United States by 2020 will decline to63.7% (down from 75.6% in 2000) and by 2050, almost half of the U.S. population will benonwhite1. The group predicted to make up the majority of the nonwhite population areHispanics2, but other underrepresented minority groups will also grow substantially. Hispanicsmake up roughly one in every five high-school-age youth, compared with one in ten in 19902.Those trends are expected to be reflected in the state of Washington as well, but Washington alsohas a relatively large population of Alaska Indians/American Natives (AI/AN), about 1.6% of thepopulation

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade in Teaching II

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Foster, George Fox University; Justin R. Vander Werff P.E., Dordt College

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

emphasizeresearch-based methods including use of clearly defined learning objectives and implementingactive learning techniques in the classroom. Such methods can be very useful and have beenshown to be successful; however, for the new engineering educator, the implementation of suchmethods can be mentally and emotionally challenging and time consuming.This paper provides the authors’ reflection, as two relatively new engineering educators, on theirpersonal implementation of learning objectives and active learning techniques in the classroom intheir second and third years of teaching. We feel that our comparative evaluations are unique andhelpful because we teach at two different teaching-focused institutions and have employedmethods and techniques that we

Conference Session

WIED Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa M Frehill, National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

: Underrepresented Minorities in Engineering: A Data-Based Look at Diversity” and the NACME databook. Research in progress includes projects funded by the National Science Foundation on women’s interna- tional participation and collaboration in science and engineering and on career outcomes of engineering bachelor’s degree recipients. In addition, she is working on analyses of supply and demand for engineers and scientists. Support for this research was provided by NACME with additional support via a grant from the National Science Foundation, Research on Gender in Science and Engineering HRD#0827461. Any findings or conclusions are those of the author and do not reflect those of the National Science Foundation

Conference Session

ABET and Curriculum-Level Assessments

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Howard S. Kimmel, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Angelo J. Perna, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Shari Klotzkin; John D. Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Reginald Percy Tomkins, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

vapors. None of thestudents were able to score at least 15 points out of 20 points (75%) for the problem. Only 25%of the students were able to score at least 12 out of 20 (60%). Some students were unable to findthe correct equation for the problem. Most students used an incorrect approach to the problem,including wrong assumptions or incorrect variables.In reflection, it appeared that students were unable to apply prior knowledge to differentsituations or to different models. As a result the instructor believed that more reinforcement maybe necessary in working with different models and in different situations. The next time heteaches the course, he plans to have group work in the classroom, where he has groups ofstudents working on problems

Conference Session

Tablet PC use in Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

JUDITH VIRGINIA GUTIERREZ, Universidad de las Americas, Puebla; Aurelio Lopez-Malo, Universidad de las Americas, Puebla; Enrique Palou, Universidad de las Americas, Puebla

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

noted the importance of provided opportunities for “what if” thinking, given variationson the challenge and for new problems that also involved the lesson’s concepts. Attempts to helppeople reflect on their own processes as learners (to be metacognitive) were also emphasized.MethodologySince spring 2009 we implemented the use of Tablet PC in the courses IA-332 and IA-530.These courses are taught alternately during the year. In the spring semester IA-332 is offeredwhile IA-530 is taught in the fall. Therefore, this study was carried out during 2 periods per yearsince 2009. Data were collected from spring 2008 (before course redesign and Tablet PCimplementation) to fall 2010. The studied populations are presented in Table 1

Conference Session

Sustainability and Humanitarian Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan C. Campbell, University of Washington; Denise Wilson, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

) identify and apply specific scientific principles (i.e., equations derived exclusively from the engineering sciences) to the problems, 5) deploy mathematical strategies to solve these equations, 6) produce a single "correct" solution on which they are graded, 7) reflect back on the answer and ask whether it makes sense in the physical world.Students are rarely taught how to consider non-technical issues throughout this process: theymay even learn that such issues are irrelevant and unimportant. Engineering students are thustaught a reductionist approach to design that deliberately limits problem scope to technicalconcerns and both excludes and devalues broader considerations [4]. Similarly, Moriarty [6 , pp. 90]describes the

Conference Session

Unique Developments in Engineering Technology

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Branislav Rosul, College of Dupage; Niaz Latif, Purdue University, Calumet ; Mohammad A. Zahraee, Purdue University, Calumet; Aco Sikoski, Ivy Tech Community College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

22.1077.2modularization efforts, along with experiential project-based learning and innovative deliverymethods, will be presented.Modularization and Sequencing of Mechatronics Curriculum The necessity for multi-disciplinary programs, reflecting the industry need for graduateswho can be multi-task-oriented and understand the whole system, is increasing as technologyimproves. Industrial multi-disciplinary skill training programs can be viewed as high-quality,technical teaching programs, particularly when they are supervised and/or taught by aninstitution of higher education3. To serve this need, Purdue University Calumet with thetremendous support of industry, in particular the packaging industry, developed the EngineeringTechnology baccalaureate program

Conference Session

FPD II: Increasing Engagement and Motivation of First-Year Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie J. Parish, Texas A&M University; Kristi J. Shryock, Texas A&M University; Dimitris C. Lagoudas, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

to introduce their missions and activities. The final area included in the curriculumconcerns career opportunities. Here, activities are prepared to help students better understand thebroad range of career options available in the aerospace industry and how to prepare for anemployment search. To support each of these topics, students are given both individual and teamassignments to engage them in critical thinking about aerospace engineering problems.Furthermore, each of these components is supplemented by a mentoring program session with anassignment that reflects the content of the component. Page 22.1287.3These three parts of the

Conference Session

IE Technical Session I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ivan G. Guardiola, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Susan L. Murray, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Elizabeth A. Cudney, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

’ potential fordeveloping a “business culture,” that is, developing optimization models, which reflect andencompass the student’s goals. These unique attributes of this game make it ideal for presentingthe students with a problem that evolves, aims to define the student’s decision making rational,develop key concepts regarding goals and formulation relevance, allows the student to addressconflicting and competing objectives within the mathematical abstract model, and presentscontinuous change that must be addressed in order to increase the relevance of the mathematicalmodel and its solution. Thus, this game has multiple characteristics that have high relevance inthe instruction of basic and advanced operations research such as linear, integer

Conference Session

K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shamsnaz Virani, University of Texas, El Paso; Iris B. Burnham, Burnham Wood Charter School District; Virgilio Gonzalez, University of Texas, El Paso; Miroslava Barua, University of Texas, El Paso; Elaine Fredericksen, Ph.D., University of Texas, El Paso; Sally J. Andrade, Andrade & Associates, Inc., El Paso, TX

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

required to function in work and homeenvironments characterized by increasing technological sophistication. A decade ago, the GlennCommission Report 1 voiced grave concern that declining performance and interest in STEMsubjects among U.S. students would significantly impact efforts to increase the size of atechnical workforce already too small to meet the hiring needs of the nation’s firms, that werepoised to face drastic reductions as Baby Boomers reach retirement age. Since the release of thatreport, STEM education reform has been a growing priority of both government and privatesector agencies, as reflected by a proliferation of STEM initiatives at national, state, and locallevels

Conference Session

Objectives, Assessment, and Methods for Teaching Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Gustafson, Ohio State University; John Krupczak, Hope College; James F. Young, Rice University, Electrical & Computer Engineering; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

that appropriately reflects the values and culture of society for which it is intended.9 Give examples of relationships among technologies and connections between technology and other fields of study.Responsibility10 Can identify and analyze professional, ethical, and social responsibilities as related to technology.11 Participates appropriately in decisions about the development and use of technology.12 Demonstrates an interest and ability in life-long learning and self-education about technological issues.Capabilities13 Formulate pertinent questions, of self and others, regarding the benefits and risks of technologies.14 Obtain and interpret information about new technologies.15 Discriminate the role of problem

Conference Session

Teaching Circuit Theory and Electronics

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carl Greco, Arkansas Tech University; James D. Reasoner Jr, Arkansas Tech University; Daniel Bullock, Arkansas Tech University; Carlos L. Castillo, Arkansas Tech University; Patricia S. Buford, Arkansas Tech University; Gill G. richards, Arkansas Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

superior in their ability to apply rudimentary laboratory skills and knowledge in theperformance of basic circuits analysis applications as reflected in their final lab practicum scores.The study was performed over five consecutive semesters with 160 students sub-divided intocontrol (traditional lab teams) and solo groups. Students in the control group performed theweekly laboratory exercises in lab teams of two or more while those in the solo group workedindependently. The solo group exhibited statistically significant higher scores on the final labpracticum as compared to the control group; whereas, the lab report, a traditional metric forevaluating student lab performance, lacked sufficient sensitivity to discriminate between thesegroup

Conference Session

Expanding the Borders of Engineering Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paige Davis, Louisiana State University; Summer Dann Johnson, Louisiana State University; Emma M. Allain, Louisiana State University; Harald Thomas Leder, Louisiana State University; Warren N. Waggenspack Jr., Louisiana State University

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

their notes with the pictures to completely document their excursion.These debrief sessions lasted approximately forty-five minutes and were critical to the learningprocess. Many times the students were not able to capture everything that was going on whiletouring and these sessions allowed the students the opportunity to digest the information,document the experience and reflect on the experience. In addition to the students keeping formal documentation on each excursion, they kept adaily journal for the 35 day program and a group blog. Students were required to make journalentries on their free days and weekends, without exception. In addition, students wereresponsible to make blog entries for specific days. The purpose of the journal

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics and Justice

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

scholarly reflection, professional practice,and activism is worthy of attention by engineering educators. Not only do such activities pointto areas of potential interest and relevance to prospective engineering students, but they connectin interesting and important ways with contemporary engineering educational reform initiatives,such as those revolving around liberal education in engineering; problem- and project-based andservice learning, as well as engineering ethics.Approaches to Social Justice in EngineeringFor the purposes of this paper, a range of contemporary approaches to social justice inengineering education are categorized not around the context of intervention but instead aroundthe underlying intervention strategy. Four such strategies

Conference Session

Preparing Engineering Students for the Global Workplace, Competency, and a Successful Career

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melany M. Ciampi, Safety, Health and Environment Research Organization; Claudio da Rocha Brito, Science and Education Research Council

Tagged Divisions

International

society is living in the 21st. Century. It is theapplication of Science to help society to reach the goal of achieving the same level ofdevelopment as the technological.Much of the objects we interact with during a typical day are the result of an engineered process- from the alarm clock to our car, the Internet, through television, the streets and buildings andeven the clothes we wear. All these objects so prosaic are the result of human ingenuity,personified in the professional engineer. All these objects came after weeks of reflection andnights, months or years of experiments, testing, developments and improvements, deep momentsof sublime technique and passion, until they were ready to serve the man.In according to the economic theory, this is

Conference Session

Extending a Hand Back: Older Students Inspiring Younger Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

AJ Almaguer, University of California, Berkeley; Roy Tangsombatvisit, University of California, Berkeley; Matthew Ford, University of California, Berkeley; Susan Yushan Chen, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley Engineers and Mentors; Lisa A. Pruitt, University of California, Berkeley; Neil Ray, University of California, Berkeley

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, relevant scientific knowledge, and reflective discussion opportunities toimprove the quality of mentoring.The program is also unique in that it offers different levels of involvement for the mentors. Onone hand, students can enroll in the BEAM mentor training course and teach at an after-schoolprogram. However, BEAM has partnered with the Lawrence Hall of Science and its IngenuityLab to offer students a chance to guest mentor once to see if BEAM is right for them. Thisflexible system allows involvement from college students who are passionate about teaching, Page 22.302.3whether they can devote a large amount of time or only for a few hours a