Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Jerome Lavelle, North Carolina State University; Louis Martin-Vega, Saigal

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

hurdles to excellent teaching in science in particular, and maybe math as well,is the perception by students that they lack relevance in daily life. This perception is historicaland pervasive. Teaching in K-12 through engineering can be a stealth approach to reachingchildren that haven’t and aren’t being reached in the teaching of isolated subjects now. Usingengineering in the classroom can have the ultimate result that more kids learn more, better.At the close of the 20th century, the National Academies produced a list of the greatestachievements of the century. These include:1. Electrification2. Automobile3. Airplane Page

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cynthia Finelli, University of Michigan; Lorelle Meadows, University of Michigan; David Lorch, University of Michigan; Cinda-Sue Davis, University of Michigan; Guy Meadows, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Page 15.191.2Engineering (CoE). The team receives direction and guidance from the Associate Dean forUndergraduate Education in CoE. The team also oversees the work of the Program EvaluationTeam and meets regularly to establish policy and procedures and to evaluate M-STEM projects.Finally, the M-STEM Program is supported by four project teams (1) Coaching/Mentoring; (2)Teaching/Academics; (3) Internship/Research Experience; and (4) Operations.The focus of this paper is on one aspect of the summer transition program. That program isdesigned to prepare students for the new expectations and requirements of rigorous collegecourses as well as to promote social and academic integrations. It is structured as a six-week“academic term” with three

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lynn Albers, North Carolina State University; Stevie Clark, North Carolina State University; Elizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University; Ryan Smith, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

by using turkey basters to transfer water to baby diapers todetermine their maximum capacity.RAMP-UP also strives to create an environment where university fellows from thecolleges of engineering and education are able to mentor elementary school students. Itis believed that this bond is influential and helps inspire students to learn and lovescience, math and engineering. This is in agreement with Eccles who believes thatstudents’ choice of studies is influenced by their social relationships.1 The programstrives to create social relationships between the university fellow and student and tocreate fun learning experiences through active learning that inspire a desire for greaterparticipation in the fields of math, science and

Conference Session

Build Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Terry Teays, Johns Hopkins University; Mary Bowden, University of Maryland at College Park; Guangming Chen, Morgan State University; Richard Henry, Johns Hopkins University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

involvement of MDSGC leadership at JHU, faculty atUMES, MSU and UMCP, and personnel of the Education Division of GSFC helped students. Inthis paper, we will highlight the novelty and learning outcomes of the student exchange program,as well as the experiential learning and research endeavors that the students participated induring the course of this program.1.0 IntroductionBenefits of experiential learning and research in undergraduate engineering [1-3] and science [4,5]education are well documented. While fundamental concepts acquired in classroom settings canbe enhanced through project work integrated within engineering courses and the culminatingcapstone design experience, involvement in intensive summer research internships, co-ops andexchange

Conference Session

Diversity Redefined: Nontraditional Views in Traditional Environments

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard R Harris, Northeastern University; Lauren Machunis, Northeastern University; William Tiga Tita, D'Amore-McKim Business School, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

pioneer and expert in distance learn- ing and eCommerce. He is also a Kent Fellow on Social Ethics from University of Southern California where he completed his post-doctoral studies. Dr. Tita’s research interests are in exploring the role of the Web in trade development and education and training, in general, for the emerging economies. Other primary teaching and research interests are professional ethics, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, social en- trepreneurship, and strategy in the global economy. Address: D’Amore-Kim School of Business, Northeastern University 360 Huntington Avenue, Rm.219A, HA Boston, MA 02115 Email: w.tita@neu.edu; wtigatita@yahoo.com Phone: 1-617-373-7259 Mobile: 1-508-735-7945

Conference Session

Enhancing the Underrepresented Student Experience

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Michelle Mazak, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez; Cristopher B. Font-Santiago; Aidsa I. Santiago-Román, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

,while the experimental group received the CATS-S. For both instruments, questions were givenin open-ended format.The control group scored an average of 51% on CATS, and the experimental group scored anaverage of 24% on CATS-S. That is, native-Spanish speakers did worse on CATS-S than CATS.This study seeks to understand the role of language in the performance of these students bycomparing their performance on CATS and CAT-S, answering the following questions: 1. What are the linguistic discrepancies between CATS and CATS-S? How might these discrepancies lead to differences in performance? 2. Can the poor performance of students on CATS-S be explained by the linguistic discrepancies found in question 1?Linguistic analysis took

Conference Session

Summer and Cohort Programs for Minorities: Student Success

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert W. Whalin, Jackson State University; Qing Pang, Jackson State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

) whodid not participate in the summer engineering enrichment program. Additionally, although thedata are limited, it appears that SEEP engineering students with ACT Math scores from 20-25achieve a greater retention rate (by about 12%, 14%, and 23% for 1 year, 2 year, and 3 yearsrespectively) than their classmates with ACT Math scores of 17-19. Many summerbridge/enrichment programs with various objectives/approaches (mostly aimed at increasingretention of engineering majors) have been implemented [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12].Most of the programs appear to have a nominal length of 2-4 weeks which is likely due toprogram cost and sustainment of funding sources. To the best of our knowledge, none have beenundertaken for the full 10

Conference Session

Mentoring Minorities: Effective Programs, Practices, and Perspectives

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew B. A. McCullough, North Carolina A&T State University; Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University; Clay Gloster Jr., North Carolina A&T University (Tech); Leotis Parrish, North Carolina A&T State University; Marcia F. Williams, North Carolina A&T State University; Ronnie S. Bailey, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

(ASEE) Survey of Engineering andEngineering Technology Programs has identified North Carolina A&T State University(NCA&T) as one the leading producers of African American B.S. level engineers and among thetop three leaders for producing BS level African-American female engineers[1]. This designationis often pursued by many prominent universities, such as Georgia Institute of Technology,Prairie View A&M and Florida State/Florida A&M, resulting in these universities alternatingbetween the top for rankings for the last five years[1, 2]. The numbers of Under-RepresentedMinority (URM) engineering students continue to remain low in comparison to therepresentation in the general population[2].Despite efforts to increase the diversity

Conference Session

Preparing Minority Students for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erin J. McCave, Clemson University; Jordon Gilmore, Clemson University; Karen Burg, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

by the student’s science and engineering identity and his/herparticipation in interdisciplinary research.  Underrepresented minority science and engineeringundergraduate students participated in a National Science Foundation: Emerging Frontiers inResearch and Innovation – Research Experience and Mentoring (REM) program for 1 semester.At the end of this research experience, students (n=10) were given an identity “pre-survey”. Afollow-up identity “post-survey” was given the first week of fall semester following varioussummer activities in which students participated. Domain-specific interest survey items revealedsignificant differences between science and engineering majors when the topic was engineering,for both pre-survey and post-survey

Conference Session

Enhancing the Underrepresented Student Experience

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William J. Davis P.E., The Citadel; Kevin C. Bower PE, The Citadel; Ronald W. Welch, The Citadel; Elizabeth Connor, The Citadel

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

ethical development in engineering students.Dr. Ronald W. Welch, The Citadel Ron Welch (P.E.) received his B.S. degree in Engineering Mechanics from the United States Military Academy in 1982. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in 1990 and 1999, respectively. He became the Dean of Engineering at The Citadel on 1 July 2011. Prior to his current position, he was the Department Head of Civil Engineering at The University of Texas at Tyler from Jan 2007 to June 2011 as well as served in the Corps of Engineers for over 24 years including eleven years on the faculty at the United States Military Academy.Ms. Elizabeth Connor, The Citadel Elizabeth

Conference Session

Summer and Cohort Programs for Minorities: Student Success

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Walter C. Lee, Virginia Tech; Christina Seimetz Wade, Virginia Tech; Catherine T. Amelink, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

high school seniors to college freshmen, the first year of engineering iscritical. In an attempt to facilitate this transition and motivate students as they begin theiracademic careers, many colleges provide summer bridge programs [1]. Summer bridge programsaim to provide incoming students with early contact and enriching experiences believed tofacilitate the acquisition of the skills needed to be successful in college. However, students canhave varying experiences even if they participate in the same activities. Since studies focusing onsummer bridge programs are typically quantitative and primarily focus on academic performanceand retention [2, 3], we know little about how these experiences vary and the many different waysstudents may

Conference Session

Enhancing the Underrepresented Student Experience

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aaron S. Hunt, West Texas A&M University; Pamela Renee Lockwood, West Texas A&M University; Emily M. Hunt, West Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

predominantly from rural communities, and yet they have chosenSTEM in contradiction to the research.Table 1: Hispanic Enrollment by Gender at ##### Fall 2005 – Fall 2011 ##### Year Male Female Total Fall 2005 62 41 103 Fall 2006 85 61 146 Fall 2007 96 66 162 Fall 2008 109 72 181 Fall 2009 125 77 202 Fall 2010 141 89 232 Fall 2011 163 97 260By 2030, projections indicate the U.S. population to be 20.1% Hispanic. The percent ofHispanics in the 18-24 age group is expected to be even

Conference Session

Engaging Minority Pre-College and Transfer Students in Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daryl Bryant Stone, Bowie State University; Quincy Brown, Bowie State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

evaluation of the program. Post-camp surveys revealedthat participation in Generation Innovation leads campers to better understand the breadth ofopportunities available in the computer science discipline.1. INTRODUCTIONGeneration Innovation is a computer science education summer camp for middle and high schoolstudents. The camp began in 2009 as a male-only program. In 2011, it was expanded to provide CSeducation to both girls and boys. The camp is held at Bowie State University, a historically blackcollege, and is focused on providing low cost CS education activities to students in the local area. Thispaper summarizes our efforts and presents the results from five years of conducting the program.The mission of Generation Innovation is to introduce

Conference Session

Focus on African-American and Hispanic Engineering Students’ Professional and Academic Development

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, Ohio State University; Fei Bie; Leroy L. Long III, Ohio State University; Blossom A. Barrett, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

andmotivation, sufficient to influence behavior...consist[ing] of cognitive and affective elements.” 9Sense of belonging also takes on heightened importance in certain context (e.g., collegecampuses) and among specific populations (e.g., URMs). So, engagement and sense ofbelonging are especially important for Hispanic and African American student’s retention andsatisfaction in STEM fields.Theoretical FrameworkSince college students benefit from the time and energy they devote to college activities, wefound Astin’s theory of student involvement a useful framework for conducting our study.Therefore, Astin’s widely used input-environment-outcome (I-E-O) model of change wasemployed. Based on the model, two factors, 1) inputs (e.g., demographic traits, time

Conference Session

Focus on African-American and Hispanic Engineering Students’ Professional and Academic Development

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kalynda Chivon Smith, Howard University; Lorraine N. Fleming, Howard University; Inez N. Moore, Howard University; Silas E. Burris, Howard University; Fabiana Bornmann

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

study was to explore the pathways undergraduate engineering students tookto persist in their major in order to determine what factors lead to greater persistence of minorityengineering majors at institutions where they are the majority. For the purpose of this paper, tworesearch questions will be addressed: 1) What influence does the “prove them wrong syndrome”have on the persistence of Black engineering undergraduates attending a historically Blackuniversity? and 2) What influence does social responsibility towards the Black community haveon the persistence of Black engineering undergraduates attending a historically Black university?While the research questions specifically address the “prove them wrong syndrome” and socialresponsibility

Conference Session

Engaging Minority Pre-College and Transfer Students in Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacie LeSure, Utah State University; Nathan Mentzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Kurt Henry Becker, Utah State University - Engineering Education

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the engineering education department. Page 24.146.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2014 African American High School Students’ Human-Centered Approach in Design“While most people spend 95% of their time interacting with the technologies of the human-made world, few know these products are made through engineering” 1, or that engineeringdesign is “the missing link that connects science and math with innovation” 1. Design isrecognized as the critical element of engineering thinking which

Conference Session

Preparing Minority Students for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lorraine N. Fleming, Howard University; Silas E. Burris, Howard University; Kalynda Chivon Smith, Howard University; Leonard Bernard Bliss; Inez N. Moore, Howard University; Fabiana Bornmann

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

organizations on institutionalcampuses.References1. Anderson, E. L. & Kim, D. (2006). Increasing the success of minority students in science and technology (No. 4). Washington, DC: American Council on Education.2. Cerezo, A., & Chang, T. (2013). Latina/o achievement at predominantly white universities: The importance of Page 24.228.9 culture and ethnic community. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 12(1), 72-85.3. Chapa, J., & De La Rosa, B. (2006). The problematic pipeline demographic trends and Latino participation in graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs. Journal of

Conference Session

Summer and Cohort Programs for Minorities: Student Success

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Darryl Dickerson, Purdue University; Freddy Solis, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Virginia Booth Womack, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Tasha Zephirin, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Carol S. Stwalley, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

suggests that influences beyond pre-college academic preparation and innate ability play a role in URM student success. Theseinfluences may include: academic isolation, social isolation, cultural isolation, negativestereotypes associated with ethnic identity, motivational vulnerability, financial insecurity, anddiscrimination [1, 2, 3, 4]. The academic, social and cultural isolation experienced by URMstudents reflects ineffective transition. While the transition from high school to college posesrisks for all students, there is significant evidence indicating that URM students who areotherwise academically prepared are particularly at risk at this leverage point [5, 6, 7].Historically, summer bridge programs were used to boost the scholastic skills

Conference Session

Beyond Students: Issues of Underrepresentation among Parents and Professionals

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Hofacker PE, US Army

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

attainment andtheir relationship to personal mastery; that is, past performance as shown in Figure 1.Figure 1. Lent, Brown, and Hackett’s model of social cognitive theory11 with emphasis addedLent, Brown, and Hackett present a social cognitive career development framework as a specificapplication of SCT based in Bandura’s foundational works11. SCCT describes the elaborationand formation of career-related interests, how academic and career choice selections are made,and performance and persistence in occupational and educational pursuits. As with SCT, thefocus is on the interaction between an individual’s self-related thoughts and social processesthat guide behavior; SCCT is also task situation specific, unlike more trait-oriented approachesto career

Conference Session

Focus on African-American and Hispanic Engineering Students’ Professional and Academic Development

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Noemi V. Mendoza Diaz, University Corporation for the Development of Internet-Mexico

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Hispanic/Latino population.Preliminary Results The wide variety of issues discussed in the literature but related to the misrepresentationof Hispanics/Latinos in engineering called for a categorization of themes. Three themes emerged Page 24.668.2 1from this preliminary analysis: (1) The problem: Hispanic/Latino misrepresentation, (2) Thepossible causes, (3) The possible solutions. The following paragraphs describe these themes. The first theme emerged as a thorough explanation of the lack of representation. Almostall reports and

Conference Session

Preparing Minority Students for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nadir Yilmaz P.E., New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology; Francisco Martin Vigil, New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology; Miquela Trujillo, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; Isabella Acevedo-Rodriguez, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; Ricardo B. Jacquez, New Mexico State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

certainlocale. According the U.S. Census Bureau, there is going to be a great change in the make-up of thenation’s population. Based on current projections in terms of underrepresented minorities, theUnited States will be a majority-minority nation by 2043. By 2060, the Hispanic population willbe doubled and the African-American population will have increased by a factor of 1.5, alongwith increases in the other minority groups [1]. Taking these predictions into account, there is currently a strong disparity between theexpected number of minorities involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM) and what is actually seen. Based on data obtained from the National ScienceFoundation (NSF) [2], if one looks at the 20-year trend of

Conference Session

Enhancing the Underrepresented Student Experience

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kari L. Jordan, Ohio State University; Sheryl A. Sorby, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

programs across the country lack the resourcesin their schools needed to prepare students to study engineering (23). This fact can be summedup by Bandura’s sentiments: “diversity in social practices produces substantial individualdifferences in the capabilities that are cultivated and those that remain underdeveloped” (1). Page 24.803.2 Math and science skills are underdeveloped in urban communities. This leads manyunderrepresented minority students to pursue careers outside of engineering. Addressing thisissue should actually take place prior to a student’s undergraduate career; when they arrive to theuniversity it is almost too late for them to

Conference Session

Summer and Cohort Programs for Minorities: Student Success

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mikhail M. Bouniaev, University of Texas, Brownsville; Immanuel Adaikalaraj Edinbarough, University of Texas, Brownsville; Bill W. Elliott, The University of Texas at Brownsville

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

college and its programs.The STEM cohort program has attractive benefits to students, including successful completion ofscience and math courses. The essential elements of this program are:  course sequencing to foster a peer support network and team building  mentoring of new STEM majors  programmed tutoring  program-specific academic support services  community building and collaborating opportunities  improved retention.The goals of the STEM cohort program at UTB are given below:Goal 1: To show a clearly-defined path toward timely graduation. The cohort program helps thestudents by grouping courses in such a way as to facilitate timely graduation.Goal 2: To help students to make the right choice of classes for

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students - Diversity and Assessment

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Miguel Pando P.E., University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Luis E. Suarez, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez; Adrian Rodriguez-Marek, Virginia Tech; Sandra Loree Dika, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Domniki Asimaki, Georgia Institute of Technology; Brady R. Cox, University of Arkansas; Joseph Wartman, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies, Minorities in Engineering

growing ethnic group in the U.S. and currently represent about14.8% of the total U.S. population, making them the largest minority group. Furthermore,National Council of La Raza (NCLR) reports that 23% of children in the US are Latino 1.Despite these statistics, Latinos are among the most underserved populations in higher educationin the U.S., as they have the lowest rate of graduate school enrollment of any racial or ethnicgroup. Overall, Latinos earn about 4% of the engineering doctorates awarded in the US, andcomprise less than 3% of the full time college faculty 2. For the year 2010, Gibbons 3 reportedthat engineering degrees for Latinos at the BS, MS, and PhD levels represented 7, 6, and 5.2%respectively of the total number of degrees

Conference Session

It Takes a Village: Engineering Beyond the Classroom

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Luz M Rivas, Iridescent; Dara Olmsted, Iridescent

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Page 23.241.2learning more about science communication [1].STEM Programs and the Importance of Parent InvolvementMany URM children and their families are not aware of current science and engineeringdevelopments. Usually, their opportunities to learn about cutting-edge STEM researchand have direct interactions with scientists and engineers are very limited or non-existent.The scarcity of academic support, informal and formal mentorship, and academic rolemodels within friend and family networks exacerbate the educational challenges thatchildren from these communities face [2-4]. As a result, they are underrepresented inSTEM fields.Parents, universities and informal science education organizations present a rich,untapped resource for improving

Conference Session

Minority Student Success

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Annita Alting, Grove School of Engineering, The City College of the City University of New York; Feridun Delale, City College of the City University of New York; Joseph Barba, City College of the City University of New York

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Bridges to Engineering: Success for TransfersAbstractThe Grove School of Engineering (GSOE) of the City College of New York partnered with twocommunity colleges to improve the transfer and success of students moving into a bachelor’sprogram in engineering. A broader goal of the project was to increase the success of all studentsenrolling in the Grove School of Engineering.The project took place from fall 2005 through spring 2012. Its three main components were: 1)Introducing lower level undergraduate students to research, 2) A summer research course forcommunity college students considering the GSOE, and 3) Harmonization of science, math andsome entry level engineering science courses across the participating schools. We trackedenrollment

Conference Session

Engagement in Formal and Informal Learning Environments

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary R. Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

study as a method to better understand aretention program.In order to understand the sudden swell in students in the course, surveys were given to all of thestudents in the class. Our primary questions were: “What is the main reason why you enrolled inFSE 394 for Fall 2012?” and “What are all of the reasons why you enrolled in FSE 394 for Fall2012?” Several reasons were suggested. The results of the survey showed that the most commonreasons for enrolling in the course were: 1) required by scholarship, 2) offer of a $300scholarship for completing the course, 3) advised to take the class by someone who had taken thecourse, 4) advised to take the course in place of ASU 101 Introduction to ASU, and 5) neededhelp with academics. Another factor in

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tanya D. Ennis, University of Colorado Boulder; Jana B. Milford, University of Colorado at Boulder; Jacquelyn F. Sullivan, University of Colorado, Boulder; Beth A. Myers, University of Colorado Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

women students enrolling in, and graduating from, theCollege of Engineering and Applied Science. The GoldShirt Program is a key strategy forachieving these bold goals. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the GoldShirtProgram provides a performance-enhancing preparatory year for under-prepared studentsdirectly admitted to the engineering college. This GoldShirt year includes coursework inmathematics, physics, chemistry, project-based engineering design and the humanities to preparestudents to enter the regular engineering curriculum in their second year of college. MostGoldShirt students live together in a living and learning environment focused on engineeringexcellence.The pilot cohort (cohort 1) entered the program in fall

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students, Diversity, and Assessment

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregg L. Fiegel, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; Ben Mason, University of California, Berkeley; Nicholas W. Trombetta, University of California, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies, Minorities in Engineering

graduate students to better understand their roles as mentors.The principal learning outcomes for the undergraduate researchers fit into three broad categories: ► Conduct and document a research experiment; ► Function effectively on a multi-disciplinary research team; and ► Summarize both the technical and experiential aspects of the research experience.These learning outcomes are summarized in Table 1 along with performance metrics andlearning opportunities. We defined performance metrics as specific skills or abilities that weexpected our students to demonstrate by the end of the research appointment. Learningopportunities represented tasks or activities completed by the undergraduate students, whichhelped them to achieve the learning

Conference Session

Innovative Methods to Teach Engineering to URMs

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Showkat Chowdhury, Alabama A&M University; Mohamed A. Seif, Alabama A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

and retrieval of the scientific data inspires the next batch of students to continuethis rocketry project as a sustainable research program.1. IntroductionThe NASA – MSFC’s (Marshall Space Flight Center) University Student Launch Initiative(USLI) program involves undergraduate students in the design, building, and testing of reusablerockets with associated scientific payloads. USLI is a competitive rocket and payload-buildingchallenge designed for university students. The initiative is intended to encouragestudents to pursue careers in engineering or science related fields. This unique hands-onexperience allows students to demonstrate proof-of-concept for their designs and givespreviously abstract concepts tangibility. It requires an eight