Design And Evaluation Of Innoworks: A Portable, Interdisciplinary Science And Engineering Program By Volunteer College Students For Middle School Youth From Underprivileged Backgrounds
- Conference
- Location
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Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
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June 18, 2006
- Start Date
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June 18, 2006
- End Date
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June 21, 2006
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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K-12 & Pre-College Engineering
- Page Count
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25
- Page Numbers
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11.396.1 - 11.396.25
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--628
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/628
- Download Count
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535
Paper Authors
William Hwang United InnoWorks Academy and Duke University
William L. Hwang is a senior Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University majoring in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Physics and minoring in Chemistry. He co-founded United InnoWorks Academy in 2003 and is in his third year serving as CEO and program director of InnoWorks. In addition to his work in K-12 educational outreach, William is conducting research on developing early cancer detection biosensors and pin-constrained digital microfluidic biochips. Beginning in October 2006, William will pursue a doctorate in condensed matter physics at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Ahrash Bissell Duke University
Dr. Ahrash Bissell has a joint appointment at Duke University as an education specialist/program coordinator for the Academic Resource Center and also as a research
associate in biology. His current research includes work on animal behavior and
speciation, critical-thinking development and assessment in biology, as well as
pedagogical practices in science that enhance student learning gains. In addition, he
works with students in both the sciences and the humanities and develops tools and
techniques to help those students better understand how to succeed academically.
Daniel Kaplan United InnoWorks Academy and Duke University
Daniel M. Kaplan is a senior from Chicago, Illinois majoring in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering at Duke University. He is the Director of Funding and Sponsorships and Co-Deputy Director of InnoWorks, and hopes to continue to contribute to the program as it grows.
Matthew Mian United InnoWorks Academy and Duke University
Matthew K. Mian is a senior undergraduate at Duke University majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics. He serves as COO and Co-Deputy Director of InnoWorks. In addition to his education outreach, Matthew conducts modeling research on both electrophysiology and metabolism. He plans to study medicine next year.
Vineet Agrawal United InnoWorks Academy and Duke University
Vineet Agrawal is a fourth year undergraduate student in Duke University's Pratt School
of Engineering where he is majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. He is in his second year as CIO and Webmaster of the InnoWorks program. In addition to K-12 outreach and educational research, he is researching novel ultrasonic differentiation methods between cystic and solid lesions.
Jessica Manson United InnoWorks Academy and Duke University
Jessica E. Manson is a senior undergraduate at Duke University double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. She serves as the Chief Administrative
Officer for InnoWorks and also works on curriculum development. Jessica has
been a part of InnoWorks from the start and is looking forward to working more with the organization as it grows in the future.
Gary Ybarra Duke University
Gary A. Ybarra, Ph.D., is a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering. He has been leading K-12 engineering outreach programs since 1988. He received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1992 and has been on the ECE faculty at Duke University since 1993. He is the director of Engineering K-Ph.D., a K-12 Engineering Outreach Center in the Pratt School of Engineering. In addition to his K-12 outreach work, he conducts research in microwave imaging and electrical impedance tomography.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Design and Evaluation of InnoWorks: A Portable, Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Program by Volunteer College Students for Middle School Youth from Underprivileged Backgrounds
Introduction
InnoWorks is an innovative science and engineering program designed by volunteer college undergraduates for middle-school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the flagship program of United InnoWorks Academy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization founded in 2003. The primary goals of InnoWorks are to (1) provide underprivileged students with an opportunity to explore the real-world links among science and engineering disciplines, (2) foster teamwork, enthusiasm, and career interests in science and engineering, and (3) use current neuroscience and educational research to develop mentoring, teaching, and learning methods that build student confidence in problem-solving.
The InnoWorks initiative is unique among extracurricular educational programs for several reasons. First, InnoWorks programs are offered entirely free of charge for all students nominated by their schools and community centers. Second, the programs are developed and conducted entirely by volunteer undergraduate students from around the country who are eager to share their passion for science and engineering. Third, InnoWorks curricula are designed to be exceptionally interdisciplinary, which enables students to understand connections among different scientific fields and how they relate to their own lives. Finally, to personalize and improve mentoring and teaching methodologies, InnoWorks develops and evaluates novel adaptations of research by cognitive neuroscientists and educational psychologists.
Currently, there are InnoWorks chapters at Duke University and University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP); three new chapters are being developed at the University of Arizona, Georgetown University, and the University of Pennsylvania for 2006. InnoWorks has completed two successful years of summer programs with over 110 students and 80 volunteer undergraduates. In 2005, the program theme was the human senses and the curriculum was entitled “Making Sense of Senses”. The programs each ran for approximately one week and were divided into sensory themes: Vision, Hearing, Touch, Taste, Smell, and Prediction & Estimation. We used concrete sensory experiences to initiate educational activities modeled on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle.1 Each theme began with group activities as the primary learning experiences, followed by competitive missions in teams of four students, each with one or two undergraduate mentors. All missions were designed to inspire students to use and extend the knowledge gained from the group-learning activities. Mission topics included robotics, rockets, electronic filters, microscopy, fiber-optics, and crime scene investigation.
Each InnoWorks program is designed to be modular, scalable, and portable for effective national and international application. The program provides an innovative method to bring higher- education expertise to middle-school youth and fosters development of synergistic relationships between universities and communities. Moreover, the program offers a valuable opportunity for undergraduates to become involved in mentoring, teaching, and community outreach. InnoWorks aims to help remedy the national shortfall in future STEM-educated (Science, Technology,
Hwang, W., & Bissell, A., & Kaplan, D., & Mian, M., & Agrawal, V., & Manson, J., & Ybarra, G. (2006, June), Design And Evaluation Of Innoworks: A Portable, Interdisciplinary Science And Engineering Program By Volunteer College Students For Middle School Youth From Underprivileged Backgrounds Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--628
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