What We Offer Young Students
The Make the Connection Program currently provides the following opportunities to K-12 students:
National JETS Competition
Each year in February, the School of Engineering hosts the national JETS TEAMS competition. TEAMS is a one day, two-part national competition challenging high school students in grades 9-12 to work together as a team to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world engineering scenarios. The competition inspires creativity, team-work, critical thinking, and peer-to-peer cooperation. If you are interested in forming a TEAM with your students or child’s high school, please contact Jean Fryman for more information.
Open House
The School of Engineering hosts two Open Houses each year. One during the fall semester and one during E-WEEK in the Spring. Open House is a great way to expose potential students to some of the activities that go on in our laboratories and to give them an opportunity to meet the School’s director, faculty, and students. Both the fall and spring Open House are held on a Saturday from 10-2. All are welcome to attend free of charge. Contact Jean Fryman for more information.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
Women are severely underrepresented in the engineering profession. Research shows that girls often lose interest in the subjects leading to engineering careers long before they enter college. To help overcome this trend, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is celebrated nationally each year during E-Week. Families and educators are encouraged to join their students at the School of Engineering for an evening of engineering fun. Students will have a chance to tour the School of Engineering, learn what engineering is really all about, discuss the importance of women in the engineering industry, and participate in a hands-on group activity related to engineering. Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day will be held on February 19, 2009. Contact Jean Fryman for more information.
Presentations at Local Schools
The School of Engineering visits local schools to discuss with students “What is Engineering Anyway?” The presentation provides insight into the most common fields of engineering and discusses the role engineers play in society and industry, types of engineers, the courses student’s should be taking to prepare for college and even current salaries in the industry. Contact Jean Fryman for more information or to schedule a presentation at your school.
Parent/Teacher Seminars
A 1998 pool indicated 61% of adults felt “not very well” or “not at all well” informed about engineering. Schedule a lecture or seminar topped off with a question and answer session to help parents discover the exciting worlds of engineering and technology.
Field Trips to the School of Engineering
Educators can schedule a field trip to the School of Engineering where students will get the opportunity to tour our labs, hear our presentation “What is Engineering Anyway?” and watch the video “Engineers Can Do Anything” by Celeste Baine, highly acclaimed author and recipient of the Norm Augustine Award for Engineering Communications. You should allow 1 ½ -2 hours for your field trip to the School of Engineering.