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Introducing Multidisciplinary Engineering in a Diverse Interdisciplinary Virtual Summer Camp for Underrepresented 9th - 12th Graders in Rural Louisiana (Evaluation, Diversity)

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Conference

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual Conference

Publication Date

July 26, 2021

Start Date

July 26, 2021

End Date

July 19, 2022

Conference Session

Pre-College Engineering Education Division Poster Session

Tagged Division

Pre-College Engineering Education

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

48

DOI

10.18260/1-2--37383

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/37383

Download Count

1644

Paper Authors

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Deborah Athas Dardis Southeastern Louisiana University

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Ahmad Fayed Southeastern Louisiana University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-9461-8861

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Ahmad Fayed is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Technology, a former member of the Experiential Learning team, and the Teaching Excellence Team at Southeastern Louisiana University. Ahmad holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and taught several engineering classes at multiple schools including University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), University of Nevada Reno (UNR) and Purdue University Northwest (PNW).
His research interests include Engineering Education, Computer Vision, Robotics, Active Vibration Control, and Optimization.

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Bonnie Achee Southeastern Louisiana University

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In addition to her primary roles of undergraduate coordinator and instructor for the Department of Computer Science at Southeastern Louisiana, Dr. Achee also serves as faculty advisor for the student chapter of ACM-W, Women in Computing. She founded the Lion's Code Coding Camp to provide a summer program for pre-college students and recruit students to the discipline and university. Her research focus is computer science education.

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Mehmet Emre Bahadir Southeastern Louisiana University

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Mehmet Emre Bahadir is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Technology at Southeastern Louisiana
University. His teaching and research interests are in the field of product design, industrial ecology, sustainable
manufacturing, and additive manufacturing.

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Wendy J. Conarro Southeastern Louisiana University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-2590-7947

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Troy Williams Southeastern Louisiana University

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Troy Williams is an Instructor of Physics in the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Southeastern Louisiana University. In his capacity at Southeastern, Dr. Williams has designed and led multiple STEM Educator professional development institutes focused on facilitating improving educator content knowledge and communication amongst STEM disciplines. His research interests in physics focuses on student-centered collaborative problem solving. Dr. Williams also serves as Co-Lead of the Northshore STEM Coalition, a member of the national STEM Learning Ecosystem network. As part of the Northshore STEM Coalition, Dr. Williams has helped to organize, develop, and deliver STEM programming to underserved communities. Troy holds a B.S. and M.S. in Physics and a Ph.D. in Science and Mathematics Education from Southern University and A&M College.

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Mohammad Saadeh Southeastern Louisiana University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-6475-6489

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I am the Industrial and Engineering Technology Department Head at Southeastern Louisiana University. I received my first two degrees in Mechatronics Engineering in Jordan and Malaysia, respectively. In 2012 I graduated from UNLV with Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and immediately joined Southeastern as an Assistant Professor. I work in the area where Mechanical meets with Electronics to produce a nice mix called Mechatronics. I enjoy working with students while teaching in classroom, or in the lab doing research.

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Tireka Cobb Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance

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Dr. Tireka Cobb serves as the Director of LOSFA Field Outreach Services and Project Director for Louisiana GEAR UP. She and her team work to remove barriers and to promote, provide, and prepare students for their future post-secondary journey. Dr. Cobb has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Sociology, a Master of Business Administration, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Educational Leadership and Research, specializing in Educational Technology.

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Abstract

The experience of delivering a STEM focused summer program to pre-college students is not novel, however, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the choice to offer such a program virtually to a diverse underrepresented population of 9 - 12th graders in rural Louisiana poses a great opportunity to reach an otherwise underserved segment of the population. This however is not without unique challenges. The ten-day summer program included applications of engineering principles across disciplines in a virtual setting. The program consisted of 8 different modules covering the areas of mechatronics, CAD & 3D printing, cyber security, biological sciences, physical science, architectural design, environmental engineering, and chemical engineering. Through several hands-on activities and interactive simulations, students practiced many engineering concepts including the engineering design process, drafting and 3D modeling, energy conversions, sustainability and clean energy, microcontroller coding, and internet security. This program was one segment of a comprehensive on-going initiative to serve students and educators from underrepresented communities which also includes a professional development program for in-service STEM educators. The program for educators is ongoing and is designed to provide them with the tools and experiences that are necessary to offer continued support and specific instruction to their students at their local schools. This paper will serve as an investigation of such a program and detail both the delivery and specific challenges encountered as well as discuss the solutions that were implemented and lessons learned.

Dardis, D. A., & Fayed, A., & Achee, B., & Bahadir, M. E., & Conarro, W. J., & Williams, T., & Saadeh, M., & Cobb, T. (2021, July), Introducing Multidisciplinary Engineering in a Diverse Interdisciplinary Virtual Summer Camp for Underrepresented 9th - 12th Graders in Rural Louisiana (Evaluation, Diversity) Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--37383

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