Conference Session

Educating Graduates in Engineering for a Flat World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado at Boulder; Bernard Amadei, University of Colorado at Boulder; Robyn Sandekian, University of Colorado at Boulder

Tagged Divisions

International

major or gender; and (2) if theattitudes of senior and graduate engineering students differ from freshmen, in particular amongstudents who have worked on service-learning projects for developing communities viacurricular and/or extracurricular activities.Assessment Instrument: The CSAS SurveyThe Community Service Attitude Scale (CSAS)1,3 is a written survey that was developed tomeasure student attitudes toward community service. The instrument has been validated forreliability and correlated with intentions to engage in community service. The CSAS survey hasbeen previously used at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), where it was given to engineeringstudents and faculty in a study by the humanitarian engineering program.4 Other published usesof

Conference Session

Experiential and Service Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Odon Musimbi, Colorado School of Mines; Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines; David Munoz, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

attitudes with respect to community service than did students and that only minordifferences existed based on participants’ age and gender.The current research builds from this prior effort. In Bauer et al., data were collected in theMultidisciplinary Engineering Laboratory, EGGN250, a sophomore level course in the fall of2004. This course was selected because it was required of all students and it preceded the courserequirements within the Humanitarian Engineering minor. In other words, the existence of theminor and the courses associated with that minor would not yet have impacted the students’attitudes. Using the same instrument, data was collected in the spring of 2007 in a senior levelcourse, a time period when most of the original student

Conference Session

Impacts of Public Policy on Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering; Kamyar Haghighi, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

in the general sense, but rather on student understanding of physics. Such research requires an in-depth knowledge of the subject as well as access to students, which means that it can usually only be carried out by physicists working in physics departments. The findings form a rich resource that provides insights into how students learn physics. When teachers apply this information and document the results for others to use, cumulative improvement in instruction is possible.Broadly, discipline-based education research seeks to marry deep knowledge of the disciplinewith similarly deep knowledge of learning and pedagogy. More specifically, within theengineering community, the ultimate aims of such research

Conference Session

Impacts of Public Policy on Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Cady, National Academy of Engineering; Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

, and othernon-research institutions). Although NSF provides examples of such activities, there is currentlyno method by which to gauge grantee attention to the Broader Impacts Criterion or the success ofsuch efforts when they are asserted. To provide suggestions of possible metrics, The Center forthe Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education (CASEE) at the National Academyof Engineering (NAE), with NSF support, convened a workshop consisting of individualsbroadly representative of NSF’s grantee communities. The group suggested that, at a minimum,grantee institutions should provide both their existing affirmative action plans as well as specificinformation on collaborations with underrepresented institutions. In addition, the working

Conference Session

Impacts of Public Policy on Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Richey, The Boeing Company; Paul Newton, The Boeing Company; Rick Stephens, The Boeing Company; George Backus, Sandia National Labs; Barry McPherson, Boeing - Learning, Training & Development

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

, Integrated Defense Systems Homeland Security and Services and has led a number of service and support-related programs such as Space and Communication Services, Reusable Space Systems, Naval Systems and Tactical Systems, Space Shuttle and submarine combat systems. Stephens serves on a number of non-profit and business focused boards and has been recognized for his long-standing leadership to local and national organizations. He is an advocate for aligning and integrating community leaders' actions to develop a future workforce capable of the complex critical thinking and skills necessary for success in aerospace and other innovative industries. Stephens was appointed to the

Conference Session

The Impact of Engineering Disciplines

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Malady, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Whitney Bopp, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Alexa Jones, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Brittany McNair, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Kim Norris, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Amy Bell, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

following four factors. 1. Design and implement an inspiring approach to early engineering education. From the very beginning, illustrate real ECE problems whose solutions benefit society. Engage the students through hands-on projects in which their team solves these problems. This approach—which eschews “toy” problems or “recipe” projects—mmakes ECE significantly more relevant and exciting to the students and provides them with opportunities to understand how their work might impact the world. The projects make connections to the real world by addressing contemporary problems and the students discover the importance of ECE problems and the excitement of designing creative solutions. This approach benefits

Conference Session

Measuring Success of Graduate Program Components

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Zhang, Western Carolina University; Ken Burbank, Western Carolina University; Brian Howell, Western Carolina University; Bill Yang, Western Carolina University; Yeqin Huang, Western Carolina University; Robert Adams, Western Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

wireless communicationslaboratory experiments, and it helps undergraduate students obtain better theoreticalunderstanding as well as hand-on experiences of spread spectrum technology and CDMAsystem. This integration teaching method improves the teaching quality by combining thegraduate education with undergraduate education in an appropriate way, which is alsomeaningful for other disciplines 9.Conclusions and Future WorkThis paper reported the implementation and impact of the GREAT model, which is amodel for graduate education through research, engagement, application, and teaching.This educational model is greatly influenced and inspired by the Boyer’s model ofscholarship that includes discovery, integration, application, and teaching. The

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K12 Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Malinda Zarske, University of Colorado at Boulder; Jacquelyn Sullivan, University of Colorado at Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado at Boulder; Janet Yowell, University of Colorado at Boulder

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

. Page 13.1239.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 The Impact on Engineering Graduate Students of Teaching in K-12 Engineering ProgramsMany K-12 engineering education initiatives implemented by U.S. universities and colleges havebeen well documented, providing us with descriptions of program logistics, partnerships,methods and curricula, as well as the impact on involved students, teachers and undergraduateand graduate students.1-9 Several initiatives have further evaluated their participating engineeringstudents and revealed measurable impacts in the areas of communication, teamwork,understanding of K-12 education, and time management.1-6As one of those established K-12engineering programs, we

Conference Session

Service - Learning Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Heather Wright, Michigan Technological University; Linda Phillips, Michigan Technological University; James Mihelcic, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

professionaland ethical responsibilities; (h) appreciating the impact of engineering solutions in a global andsocietal context; (i) engaging in life-long learning; and (j) understanding contemporary issues.These criteria, particularly 3h and 3j, were selected because of evidence from the Michigan Tech2006 graduating civil and environmental engineering student exit interviews that “ISD studentknowledge and recognition of these issues [Criteria 3h and 3j] far out-paced those of their peersin conventional senior design courses.” 9This paper only provides information on the first phase of the assessment program. Morerigorous assessment will begin in summer 2008. Survey data will be organized and analyzedusing SPSS, a statistical analysis and data management

Conference Session

Tools for Teaching

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyu Yon Lim, Pennsylvania State University; Roxanne Toto, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Hien Nguyen, Pennsylvania State University; Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University; Thomas Litzinger, Pennsylvania State University; Mark Wharton, Pennsylvania State University; John Cimbala, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. John can be contacted at jmc6@psu.edu. Page 13.690.2© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Impact of Instructors’ Use of the Tablet PC on Student Learning and Classroom AttendanceAbstractThis paper reports on a study examining the effects of posting annotated instructor notesgenerated with Tablet PCs in two 300-level engineering classrooms at a large land-grantuniversity in the United States. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of sharinginstructor notes on students’ attendance, note-taking behaviors, and learning. In Course A, theinstructor posted detailed pre-notes

Conference Session

Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Potter, Iowa State University; John Jackman, Iowa State University; K. Jo Min, Iowa State University; Matthew Search, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

skills pretest, an emailintroduction by each student of himself, an impromptu speech by each student introducinghimself, and an impromptu written paragraph in which each student assessed his presentation.Initial surveys were also administered asking the students to score their skills, confidence, andenjoyment with respect to communication. Outtake assessments were made of planned andimpromptu written prose, process internalization, and mechanics. Post-surveys wereadministered on skills, confidence, and enjoyment. Finally, ABET/IMSE outcome items (f) [anunderstanding of professional and ethical responsibility], (g), (i) [a recognition of the need for,and an ability to engage in life-long learning], and (p) [be able to provide leadership in multi

Conference Session

Diversity and K-12 Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nancy Denton, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

EffortAbstractMore than twenty years after the enactment of Title IX, women continue to be underrepresentedin numerous career fields grounded in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics(STEM). Design competitions offer one approach to increasing interest in technology andengineering. Faculty, university students, industry supporters, and community representativeshave joined together for several years to encourage student teams from a Midwestern middleschool to participate in ToyChallenge™, a relatively low-cost, “girl-friendly” design competitionorganized by SallyRideScience™.The paper discusses the motivating factors that led engineering technology faculty, universitystudents, and middle school teachers to take on responsibility for coaching

Conference Session

Gender & Minority Issues in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Christensen, Georgia Institute of Technology; Willard Nott, American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Douglas Edwards, Westlake High School; Leann Yoder, Jets, Inc.; Christina Ho, Engineers Without Borders; Shannon Flanagan, Engineers Without Borders; Stephanie Hurd, JETS, Inc.; Marion Usselman, Georgia Institute of Technology; Donna Llewellyn, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jeffrey Rosen, Georgia Institute of Technology; Cathy Leslie, Engineers Without Borders; Samuel Graham, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

-world reinforcementof sustainable engineering practices and promotes the education of ethically responsible andinternationally aware students. We postulate that this move away from competition-basedmotivations and towards community service will be particularly appealing to non-traditionalengineering students such as minorities and women.This paper will examine the case study of EWB-Westlake High School, the first ever high schoolEWB chapter, which was chartered in the Fall of 2006, and conducted a work trip to Tanzania inJuly, 2007. The program assessment surveys address which specific activities were effective andwhich need future refinement, and explore the impact that an engineering service learningprogram can have on the future goals of the

Conference Session

Preparing a Modern Aerospace Workforce

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sven Bilen; Lisa Brown; Mieke Schuurman; Timothy Wheeler; Julio Urbina

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

AC 2008-1102: ADDRESSING AEROSPACE WORKFORCE NEEDS: THE IMPACTOF HANDS-ON SPACE SYSTEMS PROJECT EXPERIENCES ON CAREERCHOICESSven Bilen, Pennsylvania State University SVEN G. BILÉN is an Associate Professor of Engineering Design, Electrical Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering at Penn State. He is the Chief Technologist for Penn State's Center for Space Research Programs and Director of the Student Space Programs Lab. He is member of IEEE, AIAA, AGU, ASEE, URSI, and Sigma Xi.Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University MIEKE SCHUURMAN is an engineering education research associate with the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education in the College of Engineering at The

Conference Session

Educating for Results: Tools used in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alok Verma, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

. Survey to Assess Student’s Knowledge about Shipbuilding & Repair A survey was designed to assess the impact of the simulation activities on the student’sknowledge about shipbuilding and repair. This survey contains questions about shipscomponents, ship design and physics principles like buoyancy. Student responses are aggregatedand average score is obtained on a scale of 1-10. Students are assessed using the same instrumentafter they have gone through the four simulation sessions. The difference in the score betweenthe pre and post survey provides a measure of change in the knowledge base of the students. Acopy of the survey is attached in Appendix A.V. Delivery Method The course is instructor-led classroom training combined

Conference Session

Student Engagement and Motivation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Stolk, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; John Geddes, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Mark Somerville, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Robert Martello, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

understanding and learning process engagement that enable individuals toflourish in ever-changing contexts. ABET and other organizations have recently asked educatorsto promote the development of students’ lifelong learning skills through their curricula,5,6 butcalls for self-directed learning approaches are not new. In 1969, Carl Rogers articulated the needfor flexible, independent learners: “Teaching and the imparting of knowledge make sense in an unchanging environment. This is why it has been an unquestioned function for centuries. But if there is one truth about modern man, it is that he lives in an environment which is continually changing…We are, in my view, faced with an entirely new situation in education where the goal of

Conference Session

Successful K-12 Programs for Girls & Minorities

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board; Isla Young, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2008-2413: SERVICE LEARNING: COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL VALUESTHAT ENGAGE UNDER REPRESENTED GROUPS INTO THE STEM PIPELINELeslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development BoardIsla Young, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. ISLA YOUNG: Ms. Young joined the MEDB Women in Technology Project in December 2003. She serves as a Program Manager working with students, educators, industry leaders, and the community. She serves as the Hawaii statewide coordinator for Project EAST profiled in this paper. She holds a baccalaureate degree in Business and Information Systems form the University of Phoenix. Email: isla@medb.org

Conference Session

Opportunities for Entrepreneurship Programs and Program Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Mason, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

students in entrepreneurial companies__ 10%_ Employer surveys_______ Other metrics – please describeThe “Other metrics” included such things as research money raised, profits generated forthe university and the number of companies receiving external funding. While thesemetrics indicate that there is some emphasis on using entrepreneurship centers to generatethe economic benefits of entrepreneurial ventures, most of the metrics seem aimed atstudent engagement and satisfaction with the programs. While everyone agrees thatlongitudinal data after graduation may be more important to assess actual impacts, suchdata is not easy to collect. In addition to the usual barriers to successful surveys, there isa reluctance of alumni offices to bother

Conference Session

Student Engagement and Motivation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Crown; Arturo Fuentes; Bob Freeman

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

engagement is an essentialelement in the design and implementation of an effective learning environment that must bedeliberately stimulated and measured. An engaged student is one who has a realistic plan forlearning and implements that plan at their full potential. According to the authors, reconnectingor integrating the educational process with the student’s values, interests, goals, and aspirations(who the student is) will significantly strengthen the motivational basis for their education andlead to a higher level of engagement, learning, and academic success. Although the mosteffective means of impacting student motivation and success is to address all aspects of who thestudent is, the focus of this paper is on the use of games delivered in a

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K12 Teachers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Pelletier, Northern Essex Community College; Lori Heymans, Northern Essex Community College; Paul Chanley, Northern Essex Community College

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2008-1235: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES ONALTERNATIVE ENERGYMichael Pelletier, Northern Essex Community CollegeLori Heymans, Northern Essex Community CollegePaul Chanley, Northern Essex Community College Page 13.1003.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Professional Development Institutes on Alternative EnergyAbstractThis paper describes three Professional Development Institutes for middle and highschool teachers exploring the science, technology, engineering, and math behind thegeneration of electricity by wind, water, and solar power.Each institute was organized and delivered as a Web-companion course. All lecturenotes, assignments, and required

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeff Wiegley, California State University-Northridge

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

objectives are designed to provide soft-ware engineering students with the skills required to provide quality applicationsin multi-disciplinary, embedded product environments. While theoretical materialis presented in a lecture format, practical experience is provided to teams of stu-dents through a set of lab based projects implemented on a variety of embeddedplatforms and micro-controller architectures. This paper focuses on the challengesfaced developing and supporting a set of educational projects that engage and main-tain students’ interest yet are cost effective, flexible and representative of practicalcommercial products.IntroductionThe Computer Science Department at CSU Northridge identified a subject arealacking sufficient attention in our

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K12 Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lynn Albers, North Carolina State University; Althea Smith, North Carolina State University; Kate Caldwell, North Carolina State University; Jessica McCoy, North Carolina State University; Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Elizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

-school time science and math clubs in elementary and middle schools not onlybenefit the children, teachers, undergraduate and graduate Fellows but they also benefitthe elementary school, the universities and the communities they support. We will showthe impact on 3-8 students and teachers through observation and surveys. We will alsosurvey the undergraduate Fellows and teachers working with the clubs. Page 13.1235.2IntroductionOut-of-school (OST) programs conclusively create greater engagement in learning andhigher academic performance.5 Moreover, students participating in “good afterschoolprograms develop interests and skills that stay with them

Collection

2008 ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Authors

Chih-Hao Wu; Kim Troboy; Tracy Cole; Loretta Cochran; David Roach

Does Education Have an Impact on Student Ethical Reasoning? Developing an Assessment of Ethical Reasoning for Engineering and Business Students Chih-Hao Wu Department of Electrical Engineering Kim Troboy, Tracy Cole, Loretta Cochran, David Roach School of Business Arkansas Tech UniversityAbstract This paper outlines the development and assessment of ethical reasoning for Engineeringand Business students at Arkansas Tech University. The main focus of this paper is to investigatethe concept of how to teach ethics and assess in a cross-disciplinary fashion whether students areimproving in how

Collection

2008 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

NADIYE O. ERDIL; KOENRAAD E. GIESKES

% 26.8% 31.9% Sections Poor 7.7% 21.3% 17.5% 15.8% 9.3% 4.9%Table 2 The results of SOOTs - teaching methods and instructor ratingsConclusionIn this paper we focused on the impact that a pilot program for an Engineering Learning Community atBinghamton University had on the interest and engagement of freshman engineering students. Throughthe combination of an introduction to engineering course, a technical communications course, a calculuscourse, and a shared residential hall, as well as assignments and events that were created specifically forthis program, we were able to successfully promote student interest and engagement.Throughout the semester the students were presented a

Conference Session

Potpourri II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Betsy Homsher, Kettering University; Janet Brelin-Fornari, Kettering University; Terri Lynch-Caris, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

activities, career seminars, and other program features, theserising seniors learn what engineers do and how engineering improves people’s lives. Pre- andpost-program surveys indicate participant interest in engineering as a field of study and careerchoice builds substantially as a result of the program: 64% of the participants report increasedinterest in the field. LITE’s impact on high school girls is significant, to be sure. We have alsofound that the LITE Program benefits everyone involved in the program: mentors, faculty, andthe University. Student mentors report renewed commitment to engineering. All of themdescribe their mentoring experience as personally “rewarding” and “fulfilling.” Faculty reportincreased satisfaction with teaching. And

Conference Session

Learning from Entrepreneurship Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen Thornton, University of Maryland; Jacqueline Rogers, University of Maryland (Retired); Nathan Myers, University of Maryland; Monica Neukomm, University of Maryland

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

advocate, and as a window to the campus with knowledge of academic advising andcampus procedures.Early data suggest that the mentoring and other community-building activities within theHillman Entrepreneurs Program have had a positive impact on students’ social adjustment. TheFebruary 2008 transfer survey found that 100 percent of the transfer students felt that they werepart of a strong community at UM, and that 100 percent of the students felt supported as part ofthe Hillman program.Documentation and AdaptationThe Hillman Entrepreneurs Program has taken deliberate steps to document the lessons learnedduring its start-up phase and to adapt to those lessons. The process of ensuring adequatedocumentation and adaptation, however, often introduced

Conference Session

Design in Freshman and Sophomore Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Masten, McMaster University; Robert Fleisig, McMaster University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

design projects is that first-year students lack technical Page 13.494.6sophistication. With this in mind, the first set of seven design projects was developed inconjunction with Engineers Without Borders (Canada). These projects involved relatively low-tech engineering solutions that would benefit disadvantaged communities in developingcountries. The remote setting also emphasized the importance of understanding the conceptualside of design. Students were required to understand the client needs, opportunities, and benefitsand make realistic conclusions about the cost, feasibility, and impact on the community.In previous years, during the second

Conference Session

ChE Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Krantz, National University of Singapore

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

AC 2008-74: ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS WORKSHOP FOR STUDENTSIN ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCEWilliam Krantz, National University of Singapore Page 13.955.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Oral Communication Skills Workshop for Students in Engineering and Applied ScienceAbstractThis paper provides an overview of a two-week non-credit workshop that focuses on the skillsneeded for effective formal oral and poster technical presentations. It is required for all graduatestudents in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the NationalUniversity of Singapore. Special considerations are a relatively large number of

Conference Session

Student Engagement and Motivation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Vanasupa, California Polytechnic State University; Trevor Harding, California Polytechnic State University; William Hughes, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

engineers to solve theseproblems (↑understanding the broader context). Reading, studying, and makinghandwritten copies of the National Society of Professional Engineer’s Creed(↑engagement/active learning) helped students solidify the concept that the engineeringprofession is one of service for the benefit of humanity. Students then completed a seriesof attitude and reflection exercises. The intent of the reflections was to engage them in anactivity (↑active learning) for the purpose of promoting moral and ethical developmentthat helped frame future learning experiences. Reflection activities helped students seethemselves as a part of the global community (↑understanding the broader context), aswell as provide an opportunity to develop communication

Conference Session

Engineering in Middle Schools

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Reid Bailey, University of Virginia; Susan Donohue, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

and fewer students engaging in STEM studies collide.The camp leadership committee determined that, to be successful, the following goals needed tobe met in designing the camp: 1) to develop approaches to relate systems engineering to middleschool students, and 2) to focus on hands-on activities for the campers. To that end, theleadership committee focused on the following questions: • What impact could the camp have on middle school students’ knowledge and attitudes towards engineering? • What characteristics of hands-on activities are most exciting to middle school students?The resulting camp design uses the theme of using natural systems as inspiration fortechnological systems, an idea connected to research areas of several