Case Studies on Hands-on STEM Program in Chemical Engineering for High School Students

Ali Gharib; Ahmed Elsaid; Abdulla Ali Al Dabbagh; Nayef Alyafei; Ghada Salama

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Conference: 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference
Location: Arlington, TX, Texas
Publication Date: March 9, 2025
Start Date: March 9, 2025
End Date: March 11, 2025
Page Count: 16
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--55032
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/55032
Download Count: 21

Paper Authors

biography

Ali Gharib The University of Texas at Austin

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Ali Gharib is a current undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. He has an in-depth history of active involvement in STEM education, outreach and workshops both nationally and internationally from the years 2014 - 2021. He participated in many robotics Olympiads representing Qatar internationally in his early years. Also, he was an active participant in STEM and outreach programs at Texas A&M University at Qatar.
Continuing on, he is now involved with membrane and sustainability research his university where he is immersed in the field of materials at the center for Materials for Water and Energy Systems. Ali is especially passionate about science and engineering and has been persistent about his passion of ensuring STEM access and outreach for all and building the frameworks for its successful implementation.

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Instructional Associate Professor at Texas A&M at Qatar, Chemical Engineering Program. Teaches freshman engineering introductory courses, chemical engineering courses of different levels as well as laboratories. Very passionate about education and has exp

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Abstract

High school students nearing the end of their secondary education often come up against the frightening task of selecting their major for the next 4+ years of their academic instruction. The intimidation is only amplified in engineering disciplines with a lack of awareness of what each major entails and what students can expect in the field. Chemical engineering, in particular, is one such field not generally explored within high school classrooms and is surrounded by a significant shortage of accessible information for both students and educators alike. This paper aims to explore the potential of a pre-collegiate chemical engineering oriented program that aims to increase familiarity with this field of engineering by examining specific case studies previously conducted within summer camp programs for high school students. The program exemplifies a STEM education approach for engineering outreach through two unique examples of chemical engineering projects. The insight obtained from these case studies will showcase how high school students' understanding of chemical engineering can be built upon through immersive programs and projects. Each case study presented was designed with the purpose of bolstering student interest in learning about chemical engineering concepts through project-based learning while exposing students to broader engineering and chemical concepts such as the engineering design process, fuel cell evaluation, cost-effectiveness comparison, distillation processes, power generation methods, photovoltaic cells, water filtration systems, and safety assessment. Additionally, this program engaged students to apply such skills in real-life contexts and challenged them to consider the relationship between what they learned and pressing global issues. These Connections not only prompted students to consider the future possibilities of a chemical engineering education but also put in motion a lifelong learning motive, leaving students more curious about new fields than before. In the presented case studies, through a series of short lectures, laboratory demonstrations, and hands-on experimentation, the program’s main objective of allowing students to explore fundamental chemical engineering concepts was achieved. Students from grades 9-11 spent various amounts of time discovering chemical engineering through a mixture of guided and independent instruction. Along with a final review and discussion, students were instructed to create presentations showcasing what they had learned. Project assignments were also utilized, with students being allocated resources and a timeframe to produce small-scale demonstrations that showcased specific chemical engineering processes. The programs presented in this paper can help ease students' uncertainty by providing a window into the world of chemical engineering. Students were able to present what they learned at the end of each case study, demonstrating a great understanding of engineering challenges and building bridges toward a brighter future for young chemical engineers. The details of this novel program are presented in this paper, including the content, preparation, materials used, and the resulting learning outcomes.

Citation
Format

Gharib, A., & Elsaid, A., & Al Dabbagh, A. A., & Alyafei, N., & Salama, G. (2025, March), Case Studies on Hands-on STEM Program in Chemical Engineering for High School Students Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--55032

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - High school students nearing the end of their secondary education often come up against the frightening task of selecting their major for the next 4+ years of their academic instruction. The intimidation is only amplified in engineering disciplines with a lack of awareness of what each major entails and what students can expect in the field. Chemical engineering, in particular, is one such field not generally explored within high school classrooms and is surrounded by a significant shortage of accessible information for both students and educators alike.
This paper aims to explore the potential of a pre-collegiate chemical engineering oriented program that aims to increase familiarity with this field of engineering by examining specific case studies previously conducted within summer camp programs for high school students. The program exemplifies a STEM education approach for engineering outreach through two unique examples of chemical engineering projects. The insight obtained from these case studies will showcase how high school students&#39; understanding of chemical engineering can be built upon through immersive programs and projects. Each case study presented was designed with the purpose of bolstering student interest in learning about chemical engineering concepts through project-based learning while exposing students to broader engineering and chemical concepts such as the engineering design process, fuel cell evaluation, cost-effectiveness comparison, distillation processes,  power generation methods, photovoltaic cells, water filtration systems, and safety assessment. Additionally, this program engaged students to apply such skills in real-life contexts and challenged them to consider the relationship between what they learned and pressing global issues. These Connections not only prompted students to consider the future possibilities of a chemical engineering education but also put in motion a lifelong learning motive, leaving students more curious about new fields than before.
In the presented case studies, through a series of short lectures, laboratory demonstrations, and hands-on experimentation, the program’s main objective of allowing students to explore fundamental chemical engineering concepts was achieved. Students from grades 9-11 spent various amounts of time discovering chemical engineering through a mixture of guided and independent instruction. Along with a final review and discussion, students were instructed to create presentations showcasing what they had learned. Project assignments were also utilized, with students being allocated resources and a timeframe to produce small-scale demonstrations that showcased specific chemical engineering processes.
The programs presented in this paper can help ease students&#39; uncertainty by providing a window into the world of chemical engineering. Students were able to present what they learned at the end of each case study, demonstrating a great understanding of engineering challenges and building bridges toward a brighter future for young chemical engineers. The details of this novel program are presented in this paper, including the content, preparation, materials used, and the resulting learning outcomes.

AU  - Ali Gharib
AU  - Ahmed Elsaid
AU  - Abdulla Ali Al Dabbagh
AU  - Nayef Alyafei
AU  - Ghada Salama
CY  - Arlington, TX, Texas
DA  - 2025/03/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Case Studies on Hands-on STEM Program in Chemical Engineering for High School Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55032
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--55032
ER  -