Engineering Entrepreneurship For High School And Early College Students
- Conference
- Location
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Honolulu, Hawaii
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2007
- Start Date
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June 24, 2007
- End Date
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June 27, 2007
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation
- Page Count
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15
- Page Numbers
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12.632.1 - 12.632.15
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--2016
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/2016
- Download Count
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541
Paper Authors
Karen High Oklahoma State University
KAREN HIGH earned her B.S. from the University of Michigan in 1985 and her M.S. in 1988 and Ph.D. in 1991 from the Pennsylvania State University. Dr. High is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University where she has been since 1991. Her main research interests are Sustainable Process Design, Industrial Catalysis, and Multicriteria Decision Making. Other scholarly activities include enhancing creativity in engineering practice and teaching science to education professionals. Dr. High is a trainer for Project Lead the Way pre-Engineering curriculum. Dr. High is involved with the development of an undergraduate entrepreneurship program at Oklahoma State University.
Paul Rossler Oklahoma State University
PAUL E. ROSSLER directs the Engineering and Technology Management Program and
co-directs the Legal Studies in Engineering Program at Oklahoma State University and is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering and Management. He is a licensed professional engineer and holds a M.S. and Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech.
Martin High Oklahoma State University
MARTIN S. HIGH founded and co-directs the Legal Studies in Engineering Program at
Oklahoma State University and is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Oklahoma State University. Professor High earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Penn State, and a J.D. from the University of Tulsa. He is licensed as an attorney in Oklahoma, registered as a Patent Attorney to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and licensed as a professional engineer in Pennsylvania.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Engineering Entrepreneurship for High School and Early College Students
Abstract
Project Lead the Way, Inc.1 is a national pre-engineering curriculum that involves partnerships among public schools, higher education, and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating. More than 660 state high school students are currently enrolled in the curriculum. The Engineering Design and Development (EDD) module is a capstone course for senior high school students, focusing on invention and entrepreneurial skills. Dr. Karen High serves as a trainer for this course. The module includes innovation and invention, and shows students how to take engineering one step further.
A one-credit hour engineering orientation course was developed in the fall of 2006 that introduced engineering entrepreneurship to former Project The Lead the Way students— now enrolled as college freshman—as well as other freshman engineering students. Engineering and business faculty members, along with a focus group of entrepreneurs, were involved in the course’s development. At the beginning of the course, the design cycle for product and process innovation, as well as problem definition, was described. A number of outside business speakers provided insight into the world of entrepreneurship, including teamwork, intellectual property, business and marketing plans, international and social entrepreneurship, and ethics. The students engaged in critical thinking exercises and worked on projects to develop marketing and business plans for projects based on inventions. Examples of course curriculum, and retention and recruitment statistics, are presented.
Background
The typical model of engineering education—students seek out a university for a technical education and then, in their senior year, seek out an established employer for a job—has not necessarily served the needs of the State of Oklahoma in recent years. Vast numbers of students who graduate with technical degrees from Oklahoma State University seek employment in surrounding states, particularly Gulf Coast states. As a result, Oklahoma’s higher educational system serves to support the economic well-being of neighboring states. This begs the question of whether a different model of technical education is needed at Oklahoma State University, one in which students are trained in entrepreneurial skills and, rather than seeking an employer as graduation draws near, begin businesses within the state or join entrepreneurial firms within the state.
It is unlikely that an entrepreneurial mindset of the required risk taking can be taught. But, it is likely that the skills required to make those with an inclination toward entrepreneurship more successful can be taught. In addition, a degree program that focuses on entrepreneurship might prove successful in: (1) attracting students into the engineering program who are seeking educational opportunities in entrepreneurship, or who might otherwise gravitate toward other majors and (2) fostering student creativity
High, K., & Rossler, P., & High, M. (2007, June), Engineering Entrepreneurship For High School And Early College Students Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2016
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