Summer Engineering Outreach Program for High School Students: Survey and Analysis

Charles Lam; Melissa Danforth; Hani Mehrpouyan; Ronald Hughes

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Conference: 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Start Date: June 15, 2014
End Date: June 18, 2014
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: K-12 and Pre-College Engineering Division Poster Session
Tagged Division: K-12 & Pre-College Engineering
Page Count: 6
Page Numbers: 24.1141.1 - 24.1141.6
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--23074
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/23074
Download Count: 476

Paper Authors

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Charles Lam California State University, Bakersfield

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Dr. Charles C.Y. Lam, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics. Dr. Lam received his Ph.D. in Combinatorics and Optimization from the University of Waterloo. His research areas are in cryptography, digital watermarking, and combinatorics. He has mentored various undergraduate student researchers as a faculty mentor for the LSAMP and McNair Scholars Program. He has extensive experience in undergraduate curriculum, research, and mentoring. Dr. Lam is currently the Project Director of CSUB’s US Department of Education Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) grant (P120A110050). He is also the co-PI of NSF Federal Cyber Service grant (NSF-DUE1241636).

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Melissa Danforth California State University, Bakersfield

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Melissa Danforth is an Associate Professor and the Interim Chair of the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at CSUB. Dr. Danforth is the PI for a NSF Federal Cyber Service grant (NSF-DUE1241636) to create models for information assurance education and outreach. Dr. Danforth is the acting Project Director for a U.S. Department of Education grant (P031S100081) to create engineering pathways for students in the CSUB service area. She is also the Activities Director for a U.S. Department of Education MSEIP grant (P120A110050) to develop an engineering calculus sequence and engineering outreach programs. Her research interests are focused on network and system security, particularly with respects to protecting mission-critical resources and services. She is also conducting research in applying biological concepts to cybersecurity, such as artificial immune systems.

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Hani Mehrpouyan P.E. California State University, Bakersfield

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{Hani Mehrpouyan} (S'05-M'10) received his B.Sc. honours degree in computer engineering from Simon Fraser University, Canada in 2004 and the PhD degree in electrical engineering from Queen's University, Canada in 2010. From 2010-2012 he was a Post-Doc at the Department of Signal and Systems at Chalmers University of Technology where he lead the MIMO aspects of the microwave backhauling for next generation wireless networks project. He was also a visiting scholar at the University of Luxembourg in 2012, where he was involved in research related to interference cancelation for next generation satellite communication links. Since August of 2012 he has been an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering at California State University, Bakersfield. Dr. Mehrpouyan has received more than 10 scholarships and awards. He has more than 30 publications in prestigious IEEE Journals and Conferences. His current research interests lie in the area of applied signal processing and physical layer of millimeter-wave communication systems, synchronization, channel estimation, interference cancelation, and performance optimization. For more information refer to www.mehrpouyan.info.

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Ronald Hughes CSUB STEM Affinity Group

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ACADEMIC POSITION:
(2009-Present) Associate Professor for the STEM Affinity Group, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, California State University, Bakersfield. Duties included teaching responsibilities in Undergraduate Biology, Graduate Level Science Curriculum, Philosophy, and Issues; Elementary and Secondary Science Methods; Student Teacher Supervision, and Educational Technology. Additional duties included grant writing, management, and evaluation; and university committees.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Include teaching and learning cognition skills, informal learning environments and strategies, and curriculum design.

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Abstract

A Summer Engineering Outreach Program for High School Students Abstract In the academic year 2011-2012, the Engineering Department of University XXXstarted a summer exploratory program for local high school students interested inEngineering. The main purpose of the workshop was attracting underrepresentedminorities and women to the discipline of engineering. This work in progress is supportedby Department of Education grant XXX. The first summer program in 2012 included a 4-week workshop on robotics. Thisinitiative was focused on introducing students to many aspects of robotics and its impacton engineering. The students were given the opportunity to fully assemble a robot andprogram it through a computer interface. The program was concluded with a robotic armcompetition that allowed the students to showcase their skills in front of faculty, staff,and their parents. In 2012-2013, multiple enhancements were made to the program to includemultiple aspects in Engineering. The summer engineering program in 2013 focused on adiverse set of topics in the disciplines of electrical, electronics, computer, and mechanicalengineering. The program was divided into four components: 1. The first component provided an introduction to basic electronics with laboratory exercises that focused on the application of electronic components. These laboratories introduced the students to modern engineering measurement equipment, e.g., oscilloscopes, power supplies, and function generators. 2. The second component of the summer project introduced students to different types of combustion engines, e.g., two and four stroke, and design engines, hybrid cars, and propulsion systems. The lab component corresponding to this part of the project required the students to assemble a mock-up of a four stroke engine. 3. The third component introduced students to the principles of electromagnetism, transmission lines, and power generation. The students assembled a DC motor and used different measurement equipment to test the input output relationship of a DC motor. 4. The final aspect of the summer program focused on the advancements in the field of robotics. The students assembled and programmed a robot to carry out specific tasks. The program concluded with a robotic competition and celebration that was attended by faculty and students’ parents. Detailed assessment of participants’ attitude and knowledge gained have beenconducted and analyzed. The pre and post surveys that were presented to the studentsindicate that the students have acquired a greater understanding of many topics in thefield of engineering. In fact, the survey results indicate that after completing the summerprogram, students were more enthusiastic about pursuing a career in engineering, whichwas one of the main goals of this intuitive. Moreover, the participants in the programwere mainly from underrepresented groups which furthered the goals of this grant inpromoting the discipline of engineering amongst minorities and women.

Citation
Format

Lam, C., & Danforth, M., & Mehrpouyan, H., & Hughes, R. (2014, June), Summer Engineering Outreach Program for High School Students: Survey and Analysis Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--23074

TY - CPAPER
AB - A Summer Engineering Outreach Program for High School Students Abstract In the academic year 2011-2012, the Engineering Department of University XXXstarted a summer exploratory program for local high school students interested inEngineering. The main purpose of the workshop was attracting underrepresentedminorities and women to the discipline of engineering. This work in progress is supportedby Department of Education grant XXX. The first summer program in 2012 included a 4-week workshop on robotics. Thisinitiative was focused on introducing students to many aspects of robotics and its impacton engineering. The students were given the opportunity to fully assemble a robot andprogram it through a computer interface. The program was concluded with a robotic armcompetition that allowed the students to showcase their skills in front of faculty, staff,and their parents. In 2012-2013, multiple enhancements were made to the program to includemultiple aspects in Engineering. The summer engineering program in 2013 focused on adiverse set of topics in the disciplines of electrical, electronics, computer, and mechanicalengineering. The program was divided into four components: 1. The first component provided an introduction to basic electronics with laboratory exercises that focused on the application of electronic components. These laboratories introduced the students to modern engineering measurement equipment, e.g., oscilloscopes, power supplies, and function generators. 2. The second component of the summer project introduced students to different types of combustion engines, e.g., two and four stroke, and design engines, hybrid cars, and propulsion systems. The lab component corresponding to this part of the project required the students to assemble a mock-up of a four stroke engine. 3. The third component introduced students to the principles of electromagnetism, transmission lines, and power generation. The students assembled a DC motor and used different measurement equipment to test the input output relationship of a DC motor. 4. The final aspect of the summer program focused on the advancements in the field of robotics. The students assembled and programmed a robot to carry out specific tasks. The program concluded with a robotic competition and celebration that was attended by faculty and students’ parents. Detailed assessment of participants’ attitude and knowledge gained have beenconducted and analyzed. The pre and post surveys that were presented to the studentsindicate that the students have acquired a greater understanding of many topics in thefield of engineering. In fact, the survey results indicate that after completing the summerprogram, students were more enthusiastic about pursuing a career in engineering, whichwas one of the main goals of this intuitive. Moreover, the participants in the programwere mainly from underrepresented groups which furthered the goals of this grant inpromoting the discipline of engineering amongst minorities and women.
AU - Charles Lam
AU - Melissa Danforth
AU - Hani Mehrpouyan P.E.
AU - Ronald Hughes
CY - Indianapolis, Indiana
DA - 2014/06/15
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Summer Engineering Outreach Program for High School Students: Survey and Analysis
UR - https://peer.asee.org/23074
DO - 10.18260/1-2--23074
ER -