Keeping Cool with Qatar Cool: A Pre-College Education Program Emphasizing Corporate Regional Engineering with Hands-On STEM Learning (Resource Exchange)

G. Benjamin Cieslinski; Tala Katbeh; Hassan Said Bazzi

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Technical Session 12: Resource Exchange
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 3
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44008
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44008
Download Count: 83

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Paper Authors

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G. Benjamin Cieslinski Texas A&M University at Qatar

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A resourceful science professional with expertise in STEM fields, science communication, laboratory safety, program management, and chemistry, Benjamin Cieslinski manages the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) laboratories for Texas A&M University at Qatar's Office of Advancement. He designs and performs demonstrations of science and engineering to local schools via the Science and Engineering Road Show mobile lab and creates programs for local youth to educate and entertain with hands-on projects to challenge students' math and science skills.

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Tala Katbeh Texas A&M University at Qatar orcid.org/0000-0002-0088-0752

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Tala Katbeh is a STEM Instructor and Program Coordinator at Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) where she applies her enthusiasm for engineering to create curricula and engineering courses for school students. Katbeh is currently also pursuing her PhD at Texas A&M University, having graduated from TAMUQ with a BSc and MSc both in chemical engineering.

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Hassan Said Bazzi Texas A&M University at Qatar

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Dr. Hassan S. Bazzi is the senior associate dean for research and advancement and professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University at Qatar, a branch campus of Texas A&M University. Dr. Bazzi is also professor of materials science & engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. Bazzi received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry and organic chemistry, respectively, from the American University of Beirut (1996 and 1998), and his Ph.D. in polymer chemistry with Dean’s Honor List from McGill University (2003). He worked briefly with the United Nations as a chemical weapons inspector in Iraq before doing a postdoctoral research fellowship at Université de Montréal. He joined Texas A&M at Qatar as assistant professor in 2004, was promoted to associate professor (2009), and then to full professor (2014). Dr. Bazzi completed the Management Development Program (June 2014) and the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (June 2018) at Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

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Abstract

Pre-college education programs have grown exponentially in recent years due to the increased demand and desire of students to enter into university and workforce paths in careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields. Multiple programs are designed to focus on individual aspects of the STEM models; including such programs on engineering design, 3D CAD modeling, and mechatronics. While these programs have shown to be successful, they lack a defining familiarity to everyday experiences in students’ lives. These programs are confined introductions to problem solving but do not accurately relay the real-world problem solving and consequences of engineering within a thriving community. A new approach in STEM educational programs was created to synergize the hands-on learning of STEM principles in a pre-college outreach laboratory, and work directly with local and regional corporate entities to envelop pre-college students in real-world problems, experiences, and engineering solutions. By grounding the students in local engineering obstacles that affects their everyday lives, students’ understanding and awareness will increase and further engage their learning experience. This paper presents an integrated science and engineering program called Keeping Cool with Qatar Cool, designed to educate pre-college students in a wide variety of scientific concepts and engineering principles related to regional cooling engineering. Qatar Cool, the leading regional cooling company in Qatar, partnered with the Texas A&M University at Qatar to create a hands-on program to a group of 24 pre-college students. The program was divided into multiple learning sessions where students were broken into small teams to better brainstorm and collaborate for problem solving. Lessons were focused on the core science and engineering behind regional cooling; a technology vital to the well-being of Qatar, a country located in the heart of the Middle East. The topics covered in the program included the importance of engineering and teamwork, the engineering design process, the physics of pumps, water conservation, heat transfer, space cooling and energy consumption, evaporative cooling, chemistry of evaporation, refrigeration, water purification, and reverse osmosis. Each session included in-person lessons from science and engineering professionals, experiments on the topics, and hands-on mini-projects to utilize and demonstrate the lessons. At the end of the program, the students were tasked by Qatar Cool as an engineering team to research and devise multiple solutions to the problem of refrigerant contamination of chilled cooling water. The students worked with engineers from Qatar Cool and Texas A&M at Qatar to create novel solutions to the problem, and present their work to a team of engineers for evaluation. This program bridged the divide between pre-college lessons in the classroom and the problem solving faced by professional engineers and scientists. By using regional problems and expertise, the students’ comprehension of the lessons was enhanced, and the problem solving bore greater purpose. All details of the program including lesson plans and instructional materials are included in this paper.

Citation
Format

Cieslinski, G. B., & Katbeh, T., & Bazzi, H. S. (2023, June), Keeping Cool with Qatar Cool: A Pre-College Education Program Emphasizing Corporate Regional Engineering with Hands-On STEM Learning (Resource Exchange) Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44008

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Pre-college education programs have grown exponentially in recent years due to the increased demand and desire of students to enter into university and workforce paths in careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) fields. Multiple programs are designed to focus on individual aspects of the STEM models; including such programs on engineering design, 3D CAD modeling, and mechatronics. While these programs have shown to be successful, they lack a defining familiarity to everyday experiences in students’ lives. These programs are confined introductions to problem solving but do not accurately relay the real-world problem solving and consequences of engineering within a thriving community. A new approach in STEM educational programs was created to synergize the hands-on learning of STEM principles in a pre-college outreach laboratory, and work directly with local and regional corporate entities to envelop pre-college students in real-world problems, experiences, and engineering solutions. By grounding the students in local engineering obstacles that affects their everyday lives, students’ understanding and awareness will increase and further engage their learning experience.
This paper presents an integrated science and engineering program called Keeping Cool with Qatar Cool, designed to educate pre-college students in a wide variety of scientific concepts and engineering principles related to regional cooling engineering. Qatar Cool, the leading regional cooling company in Qatar, partnered with the Texas A&amp;amp;M University at Qatar to create a hands-on program to a group of 24 pre-college students. The program was divided into multiple learning sessions where students were broken into small teams to better brainstorm and collaborate for problem solving. Lessons were focused on the core science and engineering behind regional cooling; a technology vital to the well-being of Qatar, a country located in the heart of the Middle East. The topics covered in the program included the importance of engineering and teamwork, the engineering design process, the physics of pumps, water conservation, heat transfer, space cooling and energy consumption, evaporative cooling, chemistry of evaporation, refrigeration, water purification, and reverse osmosis. Each session included in-person lessons from science and engineering professionals, experiments on the topics, and hands-on mini-projects to utilize and demonstrate the lessons. At the end of the program, the students were tasked by Qatar Cool as an engineering team to research and devise multiple solutions to the problem of refrigerant contamination of chilled cooling water. The students worked with engineers from Qatar Cool and Texas A&amp;amp;M at Qatar to create novel solutions to the problem, and present their work to a team of engineers for evaluation. 
This program bridged the divide between pre-college lessons in the classroom and the problem solving faced by professional engineers and scientists. By using regional problems and expertise, the students’ comprehension of the lessons was enhanced, and the problem solving bore greater purpose. All details of the program including lesson plans and instructional materials are included in this paper. 

AU  - G.  Benjamin Cieslinski
AU  - Tala Katbeh
AU  - Hassan Said Bazzi
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Keeping Cool with Qatar Cool: A Pre-College Education Program Emphasizing Corporate Regional Engineering with Hands-On STEM Learning (Resource Exchange)
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44008
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44008
ER  -