Newswise — Even before President Bush's State of the Union speech put science and engineering education on the front page, the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science has reached out to students in middle schools and high schools around Central Virginia.
"We feel that our mission of promoting research and educating men and women to be leaders in technology and society includes a duty to reach out to younger students and invite them into the exciting world of science and engineering in which we live," said James Aylor, dean of U.Va.'s School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Several programs conducted by U.Va.'s School of Engineering and Applied Science illustrate current efforts to build interest in careers in science, engineering and technology and could help localize an article exploring President Bush's call for a greater emphasis on science and engineering education. Short descriptions of several U.Va. programs and contact information follow.
Girls Excited about Math and Science (GEMS)
Girls Excited about Math and Science is a program that provides middle school girls with math and science role models from the U.Va. community. University students and professors serve as mentors to 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade girls, visiting their schools and leading science experiments and hands-on activities. GEMS aims to boost the girls' self-esteem and guide them toward futures in these disciplines. Ultimately, GEMS strives to help "close the gap" of interest and involvement in math and science currently found between males and females. More about GEMS is available on the organization's Web site: http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~gems/.
Engineering Teaching Kits
Since 2002, Larry G. Richards, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, has overseen the development and delivery of Engineering Teaching Kits to middle school science and math classes through the Virginia Middle School Engineering Education Initiative (VMSEEI). These kits introduce the engineering-design approach to problem solving, and teach key science and math concepts using guided inquiry. Kits have been developed on a variety of topics, including solar cars, bridges, catapults, submersible vehicles, planes and rockets, vehicle crash testing, sustainable house design, artificial arms, heart pumps and brain surgery. Teams of undergraduate students design the kits and field-test them in local schools. The kits are being used by middle school science and math teachers throughout Central Virginia, and in summer programs for middle and high school students. This project is supported by the National Science Foundation and the Payne Family Foundation.
Explorations in Engineering
Explorations in Engineering is a new distance education course that helps high school students understand the difference between science and engineering. Science, in the view of Dana Elzey, associate professor of materials science and engineering, is about the act of discovery while engineering is about the act of creation. "Your prime driver is not discovery," he says, "it's making use of discoveries in creative new ways to solve the problems that mankind faces." The class has three main components: a survey of the history of engineering and its social impact from prehistoric times to the present; a look at the differences between engineering disciplines, the skills learned in engineering programs and how the skills are applied on a day-to-day basis; and completion of a collaborative engineering project. The class is being offered for the second time this spring. So far, high school students in Fluvanna, Nelson, Greene, Orange and Louisa counties have had access to the program through U.Va.'s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Students who complete the course successfully receive three college credits. Students meet at their respective schools for an hour and a half twice a week for Elzey's videoconference lectures.
Center for Diversity in Engineering
The Center for Diversity in Engineering (CDE) at the University of Virginia sponsors a number of outreach initiatives for middle and high school students, including the Introduction to Engineering, a one-week summer residential program; the Juntos Podemos program, an overnight program for high school students organized by the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers; the High School Visitation program, a weekend organized by the Society of Women Engineers for female junior and senior high school students to explore majors and careers in engineering; the Science, Engineering, Communication and Mathematics Enrichment program, which helps historically underrepresented and differently-abled students enter and complete post-secondary studies in science; and a tutoring program with Charlottesville High School. The CDE works to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students pursuing degrees in engineering and the applied sciences at all academic stages. Although underrepresented groups generally consist of women, African Americans, Native Americans and Hispanics, the CDE welcomes students of all genders, backgrounds and identities to participate in its programs.
Monticello Scholars Science, Math and Engineering Program
The 2005-06 school year saw the launch of the Monticello Scholars Science, Math and Engineering program. Last fall, five rising juniors at Monticello High School took two courses at U.Va.: Materials that Shape Civilization (MSE 201) and Intro to Engineering (ENGR 162). In the ENGR 162 section, taught by Paxton Marshall and graduate student Benjamin Kidd, each team of four to five students designs and develops five special effects to be used in a theatrical setting. Each group is matched with a student playwright from Introduction to Playwriting (DRAM 372) and a student director from Directing and Stage Management (DRAM 351). The playwriting student composes a short play, no longer than 10 minutes, which must incorporate special effects. The directing students cast and stage the play incorporating the special effects. All effects must be operated remotely. Effects have included flying and falling objects, rain and snow, explosions, fire, balloon popping, and moving and blinking lights. The students learn to design with motors, relays, gears, solenoids and other mechanisms. They develop skills of soldering, fastening, cutting and fabricating using a variety of hand tools. The plays are presented at the end of the semester in U.Va.'s Helms Theatre. For the past two years, the plays have drawn packed houses and rave reviews.
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