Conference Session

Military and Veterans Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Catherine Mobley, Clemson University; Joseph Murphy, University of California, Los Angeles; Joyce B. Main, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Catherine E. Brawner, Research Triangle Educational Consultants; Susan M. Lord, University of San Diego

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Military and Veterans

from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. degree in Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy from Cornell University. Dr. Main examines student academic pathways and transitions to the workforce in science and engineering. She was a recipi- ent of the 2014 American Society for Engineering Education Educational Research and Methods Division Apprentice Faculty Award, the 2015 Frontiers in Education Faculty Fellow Award, and the 2019 Betty Vetter Award for Research from WEPAN. In 2017, Dr. Main received a National Science Foundation CAREER award to examine the longitudinal career pathways of engineering PhDs.Dr. Catherine E. Brawner, Research Triangle Educational Consultants Catherine E. Brawner is

Conference Session

Minorities in Engineering Division Technical Session 5

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Mais Kayyali, Florida International University; Mohamed ElZomor, Florida International University; Piyush Pradhananga, Florida International University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

development of profound personaltraits associated with a career [3]. However, this is not as simple as it seems as universities arenow challenged with providing non-standard curriculum offerings because as explained byPassow “engineering curricula whose graduates will thrive in practice must developcompetencies beyond the traditional emphasis on “math, science, and engineering knowledge,”and possibly beyond ABET’s eleven” [4]. As access to education increases and continues togrow throughout the nation, competition for both education and jobs is rising; thus, making itmore difficult to fill these spots.In the U.S., engineering and computing programs usually follow a 128-credit bachelor’s degreerequirement. With state legislature playing a major role

Conference Session

Laboratory Learning in Biomedical Engineering (Works in Progress) - June 24th

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Michael P. Rathslag, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Brittany R. Van Vleet, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Jennifer R. Amos, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Karin Jensen, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical Engineering

also has led multiple curricular initiative in Bioengineering and the College of Engineering on several NSF funded projects.Prof. Karin Jensen, University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign Karin Jensen, Ph.D. is a Teaching Assistant Professor in bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include student mental health and wellness, engineering stu- dent career pathways, and engagement of engineering faculty in engineering education research. She was awarded a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for her research on undergraduate mental health in engineering programs. Before joining UIUC she completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Sanofi Oncology in Cambridge

Conference Session

Innovative Development for Various Faculty Lines

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Shannon L. Isovitsch Parks P.E., University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering, Faculty Development Division

commended.Moving to academia from industryMoving to academia mid-career from industry is a major career change with both benefits andchallenges. First, it’s difficult to find academic institutions that appreciate and would even considerhiring an engineer from industry who has not published in an academic journal since graduate school.However, some institutions do value and require industry experience; though if published research isnot on the CV then teaching experience must be, particularly for a teaching focused campus.Once the switch has been made from industry to academia, the new professor can bring some greatpractical insight and real-life examples into the classroom. Undergraduate engineering studentsappreciate a professor who can tell them first

Collection

2020 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Andrew Assadollahi, P.E., Christian Brothers University; Kyle Raburn

on student preparation. In engineering education, there is significant discussion on whatfirst year introduction content is most appropriate and useful for students in their academic andprofessional careers. In addition, how that content should be delivered is also of interest. Someengineering programs provide a conceptual framework of content to be delivered to newstudents. Other engineering programs may provide an interface platform for students to connectwith practicing professionals to learn about their future careers. Some programs provide contentthat is computational-based, which exposes first year students to relevant calculations that areused in later courses. Additionally, there are some programs that incorporate elements of

Collection

2020 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Ahmed Hasan; Tariq Khraishi

applications of mechanical engineering, while describing the science and mathbehind them. The objective of this course is to introduce engineering early career students to thevarious fields and sub-disciplines of the mechanical engineering profession. The paper describes themotivation behind creating the new course, the different components and structure of the course, aswell as provide evidence of student activities and survey data from their participation in the course. Introduction Engineering students spend the first 1-2 years taking pre-engineering classes with littleexposure to actual engineering related courses that form their conceptualization on what areengineers do in their careers. During

Collection

2020 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Andrea Turcatti; Terrell Bennett

feel better preparedto work on real-world problems and has improved their understanding of the design process. Inaddition, the survey data shows that working on real projects helped the students learn design.IntroductionThe Jonsson School has implemented UTDesign EPICS based on the successful EPICS modelfrom Purdue University described by Coyle et al1. EPICS is a new project-based design course atThe University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) that utilizes a service-learning model, engages studentsin hands-on real-world projects early in their academic careers, and teaches them human-centereddesign thinking concepts. Through UTDesign EPICS, non-profit organizations partner withmultidisciplinary teams of UTD undergraduate students to solve technology

Collection

2020 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Marina Miletic; Vanessa Svihla; Eva Chi; Jamie Gomez; Abhaya Datye; Pil Kang; Yan Chen; Sang Han

Proceedings of the 2020 ASEE Gulf-Southwest Annual Conference University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Copyright © 2020, American Society for Engineering Education 2Outstanding Team Member, Outstanding Oral Presentation, and Outstanding Writing badges areearned by faculty review and evaluation of student work (including current and prior CATME peerevaluation). A panel of three faculty evaluate the Teamwork, Oral Presentation, and Writingperformance of current seniors across the previous three years of their academic career. Badges areawarded based on outstanding performance according to course and project rubrics which identifyexceptional skills in

Collection

2020 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Roli Varma

is of a women-friendlyfield, as it offers lucrative jobs, high salaries, professional careers, indoor office workingenvironments, and economic independence. This paper challenges the masculinity of computingfields in the U.S. from the experience from India. IntroductionIn the United States, women are under-represented in computing fields. Science and EngineeringIndicators1 noted that in 2015, women earned a mere 18% (9,209) of bachelor’s degrees incomputer science (CS), which is less than (14,431) of what they earned in 1985. Between 2000and 2015, the proportion of master’s degrees earned by women declined in CS (33% to 31%). In2015, women earned less than one-third of the doctorates in CS. In the

Conference Session

Industrial, Professional, and Practical Contexts of Engineering Ethics

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Dayoung Kim, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Brent K. Jesiek, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Michael C. Loui, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Chuck Huff

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

. Jesiek, Purdue University, West Lafayette Dr. Brent K. Jesiek is an Associate Professor in the Schools of Engineering Education and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. He also leads the Global Engineering Education Collabora- tory (GEEC) research group, and is the recipient of an NSF CAREER award to study boundary-spanning roles and competencies among early career engineers. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Michigan Tech and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Science and Technology Studies (STS) from Virginia Tech. Dr. Jesiek draws on expertise from engineering, computing, and the social sciences to advance under- standing of geographic, disciplinary, and historical variations in engineering

Collection

2018 ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Spring Conference

Authors

John Robert Schedel Jr., United States Naval Academy; Angela Schedel, U.S. Naval Academy

Paper ID #243562018 ASEE Mid-Atlantic Section Spring Conference: Washington, District ofColumbia Apr 6Straws, Balloons, and Tootsie Rolls: The Value of Hands-On Activities in theEngineering ClassroomCmdr. John Robert Schedel Jr., United States Naval Academy John Schedel is an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a career Naval Officer, having served 22 years as a Navy SEAL and as an engineer- ing professor. He enjoys teaching a variety of undergraduate engineering courses related to structural engineering, mechanical design, project management, and economic forecasting

Conference Session

Merging Disciplines: Practice and Benefits

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debarati Basu, Virginia Tech; Daniel S. Brogan, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Thomas G. Westfall, Virginia Tech; James Edward Taylor; Serena Lise Emanuel, Virginia Tech; Mathew Verghese, Virginia Tech; Nick Falls, Virginia Tech; Vinod K. Lohani, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

real-world research projects with team members from multiple disciplines hashelped these undergraduates to gain experiences outside their own disciplines. This has aidedthem in developing diverse skill sets that are described in terms of: interdisciplinary experiences,links between their classroom learning and lab experiences, academic and professional skills,impacts of faculty and graduate mentoring, and impacts on academic and career decisions.1. IntroductionIn order to tackle the multifaceted problems of the 21st century, industries often engageemployees from multiple disciplines to solve a single problem. Although, industries haverecognized the need for interdisciplinary collaborations, the departmental structures in collegesand

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Milgram, Natl Inst for Women in Trades, Technology & Science (IWITTS)

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

Engineering Teacher magazine. Recent presentation highlights include: U.S. Department of Education, Moving STEM Forward in the Career, Technical and Adult Symposium; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Challenging Technical Privilege Symposium Panel; and, Engineering for Kids Conference (Keynote Presenter). c American Society for Engineering Education, 2017 Broadening Participation of Female Students in STEM: Significant Outcomes in Less Than One YearAbstractThe WomenTech Educators (WTE) Online Training has cracked the code to broadeningparticipation of female students in STEM in as little as a semester. Six of seven collegesparticipating in the Spring 2015 WTE Online

Conference Session

Make It!

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Jackson, Purdue Polytechnic Institute; Nathan Mentzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Hugh Jack P. Eng. P.E., Western Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

interest in science, technology,engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers through the emerging field of soft robotics. Thisproject will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers(ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivationsand capacities to pursue STEM careers by exploring the inspiration that soft robotics mightafford. Results of this project will include the development and testing of our soft robotcurriculum which has the potential to broaden participation. Specifically, this project will test thehypothesis that the implementation of soft robot design experiences improves learning,motivation, engineering self-efficacy and interest in engineering careers as

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Jochen Seely, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania ; Karl M. Kapp, Bloomsburg University; Larraine A. Kapka, Sinclair Community College; Steven Wendel, Sinclair Community College

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Community College Steve Wendel serves as Director of the National Center for Manufacturing Education (NCME), originally established as a National Science Foundation Center of Excellence in the NSF Advanced Technological Education Program, the NCME provides leadership development for deans, program chairs, faculty and other educational leaders in manufacturing and engineering technology. Steve is also the Director for the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Affiliate in Ohio. PLTW-OH has grown to over 400 programs nearly 190 school districts across Ohio preparing students for STEM career and college endeavors. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2017 Virtual Online Tensile Testing

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ricky T Castles, East Carolina University; Evelyn C. Brown

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

offour graduating class cohorts, it was expected that the award would benefit 24 total students.In addition to providing scholarship funding for engineering students with outstanding potentialand demonstrated financial need, this program also encouraged the development of a supportnetwork for these students. Many of the students receiving the award were first generationcollege students, and ensuring that they felt welcomed and supported was important to retainthem at the university.One of the main components of the students’ network of support was connecting them with localindustrial partners to showcase the types of careers the students could aspire to upon graduation.Since many of the students at East Carolina Unviersity were raised in towns

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Farmer Cox, Ohio State University; Joyce B. Main, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Ebony Omotola McGee, Vanderbilt University; Matilde Luz Sanchez-Pena, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Nikitha Sambamurthy, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Jung Sook Kim, Ohio State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

. She holds a Ph.D. in Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy from Cornell University, and an Ed.M. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.Dr. Ebony Omotola McGee, Vanderbilt University Ebony O. McGee is an Assistant Professor of Diversity and Urban Schooling at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and a member of Scientific Careers Research and Development Group at Northwestern University. She received her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago; and she was a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow and a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow. As a former electrical engineer, she is

Conference Session

Educational Research and Methods Division Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Trowbridge, Arizona State University; Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh, Arizona State University; Diana Karen Chen, Arizona State University; Jorge Luis Roldan

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

document analysis and semi-structured interviews.Participants’ portfolios were reviewed in their original form, either as a written document or as adigital portfolio containing written content. Each portfolio analyzed in this study contained adescription of all or most of the GCSP experiences. For each component of the program, theportfolio asks students to describe what they did, what they learned, how it relates to their GrandChallenge theme, and the value of the experience to them in terms of their career. The semi-structured interviews were 60-90 minutes long, and focused on the participants’ experiences inthe GCSP. In the interviews, students were asked to discuss how and why they joined theprogram, describe their experiences, and what they

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laila Guessous, Oakland University; Caymen May Novak, Oakland Unversity

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

Oakland University(OU) has been organizing a research experience for undergraduates (REU) program that hasbeen successful at recruiting underrepresented undergraduates in engineering – women inparticular. Funded through the National Science Foundation REU program, this summer REUprogram focuses on automotive and energy-related research projects. The Automotive andEnergy Research and Industrial Mentorship (AERIM) REU program at Oakland University aimsto engage participants in rewarding automotive research experiences that excite and motivatethem to pursue careers in scientific and engineering research, and seeks to address thenationwide problem of the under-representation of women and minorities in the sciences,technology, engineering and math

Conference Session

First-Year Programs: Monday 5-Minute Work-in-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emily A. Bovee, Michigan State University; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; S. Patrick Walton, Michigan State University; Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia, Michigan State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

University and Assistant Dean for Student Advancement and Program Assessment in the College of Engineering. Dr. Briedis is involved in several areas of education research including student retention, curriculum redesign, and the use of technology in the classroom. She has been involved in NSF-funded research in the areas of integration of computation in engineering curricula and in developing comprehensive strategies to retain early engineering students. She is active nationally and internationally in engineering accreditation and is a Fellow of ABET, ASEE, and AIChE.Dr. S. Patrick Walton, Michigan State University S. Patrick Walton received his B.ChE. from Georgia Tech, where he began his biomedical research career in

Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 7: Learning and Research in Makerspaces

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lee Michael Martin, University of California, Davis

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

also a predictor of future career choice [8]. Within engineering, self-efficacyis a predictor of motivation [9, 10]. Both in school and out-of-school experiences can build self-efficacy in a domain. Students who engaged in pre-college engineering hobbies showedsignificant gains in self-efficacy [11].In this work-in-progress paper, we investigate students’ self-efficacy through their statements inan informal interview context. Self-efficacy is generally assessed through self-report measures.Surveys are most common, but interviews are also an established and useful method for self-efficacy and related constructs [12].Our research question is an exploratory one: what are the forms of self-efficacy in making thatstudents develop and express during

Conference Session

M1B: WIP - Learning Experiences 2

Collection

2019 FYEE Conference

Authors

Sara Willner-Giwerc, Tufts University; Kristen B Wendell, Tufts University

Tagged Topics

FYEE Conference - Paper Submission

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Ed- ucation at Tufts University. Her research efforts at at the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach focus on supporting discourse and design practices during K-12, teacher education, and college-level en- gineering learning experiences, and increasing access to engineering in the elementary school experience, especially in under-resourced schools. In 2016 she was a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). https://engineering.tufts.edu/me/people/faculty/kristen- bethke-wendell 2019 FYEE Conference : Penn State University , Pennsylvania Jul 28 Work in Progress: Analyzing a Distributed Expertise Model in an

Conference Session

Pre-College Engineering Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Darlee Gerrard, University of Toronto; Paul R. Chiarot, State University of New York at Binghamton

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education

-curricular and experiential learning, and the equity and accessibility of education.Prof. Paul R. Chiarot, State University of New York at Binghamton Dr. Chiarot received the BASc, MASc, and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto and was a post doctoral research associate at the University of Rochester. He has published over twenty papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings and has one issued US patent. Dr. Chiarot joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the State University of New York at Binghamton in 2011 where he directs the Microfluidics and Multiphase Flow Laboratory. Dr. Chiarot was the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award in 2016

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Roth, Lafayette College; Laurie F. Caslake, Lafayette College

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

liberal arts colleges and large, research-intensiveinstitutions would be productive in moving a particular research area forward.Collaboration also with large research institutions not just ERCs.AcknowledgmentsThis material is based upon work primarily supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF)under NSF Award Number CMMI–1632963 and NSF Award Number ERC-1449501. Anyopinions, findings and conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this material are those ofthe authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the NSF.References[1] D. Lopatto, “Undergraduate Research Experiences Support Science Career Decisions and Active Learning,” CBE—Life Sciences Education, vol. 6, pp. 297-306, winter 2007[2] S.H. Russell, M.P. Hancock, and

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hua Li, Texas A&M University, Kingsville; Kai Jin, Texas A&M University, Kingsville; Mohamed Abdelrahman, Arkansas Tech University

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

implanted in the REU site. Pre and post surveys and follow-up phone interviews wereconducted to collect REU participants’ feedbacks, while different surveys were also conducted tocollect feedback from faculty and graduate assistants. Table 2 shows selected REU students postsurvey results in all three years. After attending the IR-SEED REU site, • About 91% REU participants rated their overall experience excellent or very good, which matches with the follow-up phone interview results. • About 62% REU participants had increased interests in going to graduate school. • Close to 70% REU participants had increased interests in pursuing research career. • About 42% REU participants decided to pursue a higher degree

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David B. Knight, Virginia Tech; Walter C. Lee, Virginia Tech; Karl W. Reid, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE); Monica E. Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Morgan M Hynes, Purdue University-Main Campus, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Cherie D. Edwards, Virginia Tech; Glenda D. Young Collins, Mississippi State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity, NSF Grantees Poster Session

Engineer- ing at Mississippi State University. She completed her doctoral work at Virginia Tech in the Department of Engineering Education. Her research examines the role of university-industry partnerships in shaping student career expectations and pathways, the student to workforce continuum, and broadening partici- pation in engineering. Dr. Young has worked as an Employer Relations Assistant for the VT Career and Professional Development office and has a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University and Master of Industrial and Systems Engineering from Auburn University. She is a Gates Millennium Scholar. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2018

Collection

2015 EDI

Authors

Daryll Pines

readiness benchmark levels in science. – Essential preparation for all careers in the modern workforce – Scientific and technological literacy for an educated society National Academy StudiesCall to Action Framework/Standards Curriculum Implementation Development DevelopmentNorm AugustineC. Dan MoteLinda Katehi Assessments Evaluation 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Motivation: Why now?• Overall college graduation levels in the United States have

Collection

2018 Gulf Southwest Section Conference

Authors

Matt Leonard; Joseph Morgan; Jeremy P. Coffelt

could be constructed from As depicted in Figure 1, the Digital Systems Teaching 3D-printed parts and other mechanical and electronicand Research (DSTR – pronounced “Disaster”) Robot is a components which can be purchased at a local hardwarefour-wheeled, articulated-leg suspension mobile platform store or from numerous on-line sources. The primary focusthat can operate in a tele-operate or autonomous mode. The of the DSTR Robot is to be an experiential educationsuspension is a unique aspect of the robot and allows the manipulative that motivates and inspires secondary andmobile platform to “walk” over obstacles it encounters. This college level students to pursue STEM-based careers,feature

Conference Session

Issues of Diversity

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Moshe Hartman, Retired; Harriet Hartman, Rowan University; Jennifer Kadlowec, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

math activities in high school; AP courses taken in math and science; (b) Role Models: having a sister or brother in engineering, math or science; having a female math or science teacher (role model for women); (c) Support of significant others for the student’s choice of engineering as a major and/or career. Hypothesis 1: Women who enter fields that have lower proportions of women will have stronger academic backgrounds, greater exposure to more role models, and stronger support from significant others for their choice of such a non-traditional major or career. (2) Self-confidence: (a) General academic skills; (b) Math-science academic skills; and (c) Engineering-related skills and subjects

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leyla Conrad, Georgia Institute of Technology; Edward Conrad, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jill Auerbach, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

simply donot have sufficient resources for demonstration tools. Because visualization is key tounderstanding and modern physics so buried in the inaccessible subatomic world, the inability toget these tools is doubly crippling to teaching modern physics concepts. Finally, minoritystudents in Atlanta’s public schools are unlikely to see physical sciences as a career option.These students cannot visualize how science and technology affect their every day life or thefuture benefits they can derive by being literate in science. Most engineering fields, especiallyelectrical and mechanical, are based on modern physics, and one cannot expect students withoutexposure to these materials to choose engineering as a career.In this paper we describe an