Conference Session

Mid Atlantic Papers

Collection

2017 Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

Authors

Emily Alexandra German, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology; Niki Taylor Taheri, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology; Shouling He, Vaughn College of Aeronautics & Technology

Tagged Topics

Diversity, Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

SchoolIntroductionIn the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects nearly three million new jobs in STEMby 20201, which requires capable individuals with educational backgrounds in STEM to fill thepositions. However, in 2009, the U.S. Department of Education stated that only 16% of USstudents obtained a STEM-related degree out of 1.6 million bachelor’s degrees2. The lack ofcreativity and perspectives in STEM from the limited labor pool becomes a serious concern forthe society. The reason for students to be less willing to pursue a STEM degree in college can bevarious, for example, lack of quality preparation in mathematics and science or lack of financialsupport. Among the factors, an important reason is the lack of general knowledge

Conference Session

Mid Atlantic Papers

Collection

2017 Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

Authors

Laura Bayerle; Marietta R. Scanlon, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus

Tagged Topics

Diversity, Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

lasting interest in technical careers.14-18Program ImplementationIn order to develop and deliver a high impact program following the key methodologies outlinedabove, the first stage of the project involved identifying a cohort of 56 middle school girls andpairing them with 10 female undergraduate engineering students ranging from freshmen throughseniors.In order to recruit PSU students, an initial explanatory email was sent to all femaleundergraduates registered as either engineering majors or pre-majors. A meeting was held toexplain the program and invite students to participate. In addition, the undergraduates earnedindependent study credit for participating in the project. As a result of recruitment efforts, tenPSU students signed up to

Conference Session

Mid Atlantic Papers

Collection

2017 Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

Authors

Ge Jin, Purdue University Northwest; Michael Tu, Purdue University Northwest; Tae-Hoon Kim, Purdue University Northwest; Justin David Heffron, Purdue University Northwest; Jonathan Kakahiaka White

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Diversity, Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

currently an associate professor in the Department of Computer InformationTechnology and Graphics at the Purdue University Northwest. He has 6 years of college teachingand research experience in computer networks and network security with 12 plus publications,taught computer networks, network security, network design & administration courses at bothundergraduate/graduate levels, mentored over 60 students through funded research projects,GenCyber and K-12 summer camps.Justin HeffronMr. Justin Heffron is currently a graduate student in the Department of Computer InformationTechnology and Graphics at the Purdue University Northwest. He received B.S. degree inComputer Graphics Technology from Purdue University Northwest.Jonathan WhiteMr. Jonathan

Conference Session

Mid Atlantic Papers

Collection

2017 Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

Authors

Erick Martinez P.E., United States Military Academy; Charles M Ouellette, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996; Luke Thomas Plante, United States Military Academy; Benjamin Michael Wallen P.E., United States Military Academy; Jeffrey A. Starke P.E., U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Topics

Diversity, Mid-Atlantic Section Fall Conference

number of keystone events addressing the potential for a “SilentSpring” and the “tragedy of the commons”, for example [1]-[2]. Shortly after the NationalEnvironmental Policy Act, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and theestablishment of Earth Day, Saarinen [3] emphasized the need to understand the link betweenhuman activity and environmental impact as future decisions grow in significance. These conceptsare not new as Thomas Malthus [4] emphasized the stresses the human population may place onresources essential for continued survival may result in collapse due to essentially exceeding theEarth’s carrying capacity. Although technological improvements provide a means to continuallychange projected resource exhaustion, the