BOARD # 217: The design of a summer camp blending bioengineering and programming skills for middle school girls and gender minority students (Work in Progress)

Wesley Lawson; Hamza Shaikh; Jennifer Kouo

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: WIP Poster Session: Emerging Research and Practices in Pre-College Engineering Education
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 9
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55574

Paper Authors

biography

Wesley Lawson University of Maryland, College Park

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Prof. Lawson has earned five degrees from the University of Maryland, including a Ph,D, in Electrical Engineering in 1985. In his professional career at College Park, where he has been a full professor since 1997, he has worked on high-power microwave development, medical devices, and STEM education research for engineers, pre-service teachers, and middle/high school students.

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Hamza Shaikh University of Maryland College Park

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Jennifer Kouo The Johns Hopkins University orcid.org/0000-0002-4609-8555

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Dr. Jennifer Kouo is an Assistant Research Scientist at the Center for Technology in Education (CTE) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Jennifer’s areas of expertise include Universal Design for Learning, technology integration, assistive technologies, and serving students with a range of disabilities, particularly autism spectrum disorder. She is currently engaged in multiple research projects that involve transdisciplinary collaborations in the field of engineering, medicine, and technology, as well as research on teacher preparation and the conducting of evidence-based practices in multiple contexts. Jennifer’s publications appear in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, and Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities.

Before joining the CTE, Jennifer was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at Towson University. Prior to joining higher education, she was a special education teacher at the Kennedy Krieger School: Fairmount Campus. Dr. Kouo holds a B.S. in Integrated Elementary and Special Education from Towson University, an M.S. in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. in Special Education with an emphasis in severe disabilities and autism spectrum disorders from the University of Maryland, College Park.

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Abstract

We present the design of a two-week summer camp that would introduce middle school girls and gender minority students to elements of computer science, electrical engineering, and bioengineering. Our hypothesis is that increased interest in electrical engineering and computer science will result by demonstrating the strong synergy between those disciplines and “helping” disciplines like bioengineering. Our research questions focus on two primary objectives: (1) to what degree does our summer camp impact middle-school girls and gender minority students’ self-efficacy and interest in computer programming, electrical engineering, and bioengineering? and (2) what are the supports and barriers that facilitate or hinder students’ ability and desire to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to increase their self-efficacy and STEM identity?

In this paper we present the instructional modules and implementation plan for the summer camp. The camp would follow a normal 9-5 schedule with significant community-building activities during the initial days, followed by more content-laden days in which course modules, comprised of a blend of passive and active learning activities, introduce the necessary knowledge and skills. In early modules, participants would learn fundamental elements of Python programming on Raspberry Pi 5 computers and would be introduced to computational thinking and structured code development. Later modules would focus on electronic hardware, medical devices and applications. Teams of 3-4 participants would be formed and the teams would design, build, test, and evaluate a medical device. We will present the design strategy, procedure and results for one example, which is a Pulse Oximeter that would continuously record oxygen levels and activate an audio alarm if the SPO2 level falls below 92%. The final phase of the summer camp would be dedicated to the product showcase of the participants’ creations followed by the program wrap-up, reflection, evaluation, and closing celebration. Finally, we present details of the mixed-methods approach that would utilize surveys and focus groups to obtain qualitative data on the participants’ experiences and their attitudes related to our research questions.

The ultimate goal of our research project is to inform on best practices to develop and deliver instructional materials on bioengineering project-driven design, computational thinking, and programming skills to middle-school girls and gender minority students. It should also inform on the bioengineering applications that are most effective for instilling enthusiasm and interest in electrical engineering and computer science and an appreciation for the value of computational thinking in middle-school girls and gender minority students.

Citation
Format

Lawson, W., & Shaikh, H., & Kouo, J. (2025, June), BOARD # 217: The design of a summer camp blending bioengineering and programming skills for middle school girls and gender minority students (Work in Progress) Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/55574

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - We present the design of a two-week summer camp that would introduce middle school girls and gender minority students to elements of computer science, electrical engineering, and bioengineering. Our hypothesis is that increased interest in electrical engineering and computer science will result by demonstrating the strong synergy between those disciplines and “helping” disciplines like bioengineering. Our research questions focus on two primary objectives: (1) to what degree does our summer camp impact middle-school girls and gender minority students’ self-efficacy and interest in computer programming, electrical engineering, and bioengineering? and (2) what are the supports and barriers that facilitate or hinder students’ ability and desire to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to increase their self-efficacy and STEM identity?

In this paper we present the instructional modules and implementation plan for the summer camp. The camp would follow a normal 9-5 schedule with significant community-building activities during the initial days, followed by more content-laden days in which course modules, comprised of a blend of passive and active learning activities, introduce the necessary knowledge and skills. In early modules, participants would learn fundamental elements of Python programming on Raspberry Pi 5 computers and would be introduced to computational thinking and structured code development. Later modules would focus on electronic hardware, medical devices and applications. Teams of 3-4 participants would be formed and the teams would design, build, test, and evaluate a medical device. We will present the design strategy, procedure and results for one example, which is a Pulse Oximeter that would continuously record oxygen levels and activate an audio alarm if the SPO2 level falls below 92%. The final phase of the summer camp would be dedicated to the product showcase of the participants’ creations followed by the program wrap-up, reflection, evaluation, and closing celebration. Finally, we present details of the mixed-methods approach that would utilize surveys and focus groups to obtain qualitative data on the participants’ experiences and their attitudes related to our research questions.

The ultimate goal of our research project is to inform on best practices to develop and deliver instructional materials on bioengineering project-driven design, computational thinking, and programming skills to middle-school girls and gender minority students. It should also inform on the bioengineering applications that are most effective for instilling enthusiasm and interest in electrical engineering and computer science and an appreciation for the value of computational thinking in middle-school girls and gender minority students.
AU  - Wesley Lawson
AU  - Hamza Shaikh
AU  - Jennifer Kouo
CY  - Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
DA  - 2025/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - BOARD # 217: The design of a summer camp blending bioengineering and programming skills for middle school girls and gender minority students (Work in Progress)
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55574
ER  -