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The Next Greatest Generation - Our Future Needs Your MindThe Next Greatest Generation web portal will be a free K-12 resource center for educators and students with a support community of mentors, corporations, organizations and associations that are concerned about our nation's crisis in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).The Next Greatest Generation was developed to help improve the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and math through the explicit use of knowledge-based tutorials, shared curriculums & activities, on-line support groups, and educational on-line games that will help keep teachers enthusiastic, energetic, and informed. Do you think it will work? Would you use it? If you like the idea, please visit the Grassroots page (http://www.nextgreatestgeneration.com) and add your name to the growing list of educators, students, and parents who are behind the campaign to fully develop the Next Greatest Generation web site. Teachers can create their own customizable curriculum-based Learning Laboratories by combining Hands-on activities and online STEM games into a teaching template, by grade & subject, that can be saved and shared. Send any comments to Ray Shingler (219) 548-7566 or RShingler@NextGreatestGeneration.com Graduate Certificate in Secondary Teaching for Engineers at Boise State UniversityAlways wanted to teach high school or junior high? Thanks to an innovative, cooperative program, engineering students and professionals can earn Idaho secondary teaching certification through the Graduate Certificate program at Boise State University, often with just one additional year beyond their BS degree.Students with a bachelor's degree in an engineering field can apply to the graduate certificate program either after years of experience as an engineer, after completion of their bachelor's degree, or even in the final year of their BS program. The graduate teaching certificate program is designed to be completed in a summer plus a fall and spring semester (one calendar year) of full time study. For engineers the certification fields that are easiest and most appropriate for them to pursue, based on their major, include: Civil Engineering: Chemistry, Mathematics, Physical Science, Physics Computer Science: Mathematics Electrical Engineering: Mathematics, Physical Science, Physics Material Science and Engineering: Chemistry, Mathematics, Physical Science, Physics Mechanical Engineering: Mathematics, Physical Science, Physics Students seeking certification at either the undergraduate or graduate levels in Mathematics or one of the sciences can qualify for a stipend through the National Science Foundation Noyce Grant. Qualifying students receive up to $10,000 for one year in return for a commitment to teach for two years in a "high needs" school district. There is also information available at the Boise State University College of Engineering website: http://coen.boisestate.edu/GradCertificate/index.asp How to Talk About MathOn an airplane last weekend I sat next to a guy that said he wanted to be an engineer but could not get through the math. I asked him what he does today and he told me was an investment banker. I shook my head and asked if investment bankers took any math in school and he said that he had many math classes in college but he thought business math was easier than engineering math.As many of you know and probably struggle against, math is the gatekeeper. Perceptions about math have changed the course of millions of lives. Sometimes, all it takes is a bad teacher in first or second grade to change a student's direction and sometimes it is just too full of details like changing a minus sign to plus when putting it on the other side of the equal sign. Sometimes, tending to the details of math (and life) can seem overwhelming. But, we need to tell students that math is just one tool in the engineer's box. Math and science are important tools to understanding the world but they are not the only tools that a person uses to solve problems. Fortunately, in engineering, there are thousands of different types of jobs. A student can choose a job that is very math intensive or they can choose a job that does not require as many calculations. The important thing is to learn why and when math should be applied and know what the approximate answer should be. For example, if an engineer is on-site at a location and enters an equation into a computer, he or she should have an idea what the answer should be so they can know if the computer is even close. If the computer is not close, that tells them that an assumption that was entered into the computer as part of the equation might not be correct. According to the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), the engineering jobs requiring the most math are: research, complex analysis, complex design and development. The jobs requiring the least amount of math are marketing and sales, test and evaluation and manufacturing. There is something for everyone in engineering. Every student can personally design his or her future. Other tools in the box include creativity, communication skills, teamwork skills, common sense, analytical ability, writing skills, presentation skills and time management. The NASA ProblemLast October I had the privilege of seeing the Space Shuttle Discovery launch at Banana Creek in Florida. In exchange for this treat, I attended an all-day educational conference hosted by NASA. NASA is working to build a rocket to go to the moon. On the moon, they want to build a launch pad to go to Mars. That's a lot of engineering! This will require Astronauts to spend up to six months at a time on the Moon. However, there is concern that kids aren't interested in the space program. Most people don't even know about NASA's future plans.All day, I listened and everyone exchanged ideas about the best ways to address the problem. I hope they follow through on even half of the ideas provided. Last week, I visited the NASA AMES facility at Moffett Field in California. The AMES facility has the largest wind tunnel in the US (and maybe the world). It's 80' x 120' and has it's own power grid so they don't give regular brown-outs to the local neighborhoods (it is estimated that the wind tunnel uses something close to $1000/minute in electricity!) Engineers and scientists are doing absolutely fantastic work at AMES! However, what struck me as odd was the gray landscape. As I was driving through the campus I saw very flat and rectangular buildings with drab exteriors. The buildings looked very old, there was no color and the environment was extremely structured. You'd never know anything exciting was going on and you'd never know that anyone doing exciting work was inside. At the NASA conference last October, one of the ideas to recruit was to offer tours of the different facilities. If I were a kid that watched TV, surfed the Internet and enjoyed seeing color, I'd have no interest in working there. When we are young, it's very rare to choose a career where all the excitement of working is cerebral. Middle school students often choose careers based on who they know, how it looks and how they think it will make them feel. They want to see themselves in the role (especially girls). In the NASA case described above, a student might be better off visualizing themselves in the rocket engineer role from books, clips of Apollo 13 or the The Right Stuff and the Discovery Channel instead of actually visiting the research facility. At least until they are older and more secure in their decisions. I Need My SpaceAssuming that astronauts, spacewalks and rockets already enamor students, the greatest thing about motivating students to pursue engineering or technology in this arena is that they can be almost any type of engineer to get involved. When I was a kid, I thought that I had to be an aerospace engineer to become an astronaut and get a job at NASA. I had no interest in aerospace so I never even entertained the idea of being a part of the space program.For students today, I'm happy to say that I had bad information. NASA hires biomedical engineers to make space suits, chemical engineers to help with life support systems, mechanical engineers work on almost everything, electrical engineers work on control systems, etc. There are endless opportunities for students in this field and they don't have to narrow their interests to succeed. Some engineers might spend their days fine-tuning a set of million dollar micro-cameras so the rovers can "see" better while exploring miles of Martian terrain. Or, they might be designing tele-operated mini-rovers in an office that looks more like a high-tech R&D lab at a toy company than a NASA research facility. Dr. Sally Ride gives great advice to students. She says, "The most important steps that I followed were studying math and science in school. I think the advice that I would give to any kids who want to be astronauts is to make sure that they realize that NASA is looking for people with a whole variety of backgrounds: they are looking for medical doctors, microbiologists, geologists, physicists, electrical engineers. So find something that you really like and then pursue it as far as you can and NASA is apt to be interested in that profession." NASA's web site is full of information to help you engage students. You can watch video of the shuttle launch and even see it from a camera on the solid rocket boosters. There are numerous pictures and classroom activities for every age. It's easy to get information and students involved by visiting http://www.nasa.gov. Princeton Engineering Class DevelopmentI am a teacher at an urban high school in Cincinnati, Ohio. My school is a relatively large, four-year comprehensive high school that serves approximately 1,800 students. Approximately 82% of the graduates attend college with 60% going to four-year schools and 22% enrolling in two year/technical schools. Princeton's average ACT composite for the past three years was 22.3. The average SAT composite in that same period was 1070.Our Elementary schools do not have an active Technology Education Program; however, with the new Technology Director in the district, there is a push to make any new program changes meet the demands of the Technology Curriculum in Ohio. Our Middle School Technology Education program uses a modular system. We went modular 9 years ago. Since they went modular, they have upgraded the lab several times. Princeton High School Technology Education Department has six teachers. Our program includes 37 courses in eight different areas. These areas are Pre-Engineering, Mechanical and Architectural Drafting, Graphics, Electricity-Electronics, Manufacturing, Construction, Power and Energy, and a math review course for students that did not pass the Ohio Graduation Test. The newest class we developed for the 2007-2008 school year is called Engineering Your Future. This class is a pre-engineering class covering 10-12 engineering areas. This class is a year long honors level pre-engineering class. We have been developing this class for over one year. How this class got started was interesting. Two catholic girls' high schools, Mt. Notre Dame and Mother of Mercy, in the Cincinnati area went to the University of Cincinnati's Engineering Department asking for help in developing a class for their girls to introduce them to the engineering field. The UC professor that took charge of the class had students attending Princeton and asked the Math, Science, Technology Education, and Computer Science Departments to come to a planning meeting. All of the departments sent representatives to the first meeting. As planning sessions progressed, the university and participating high schools looked at several pre-engineering programs that were already in place. One principle plan that was looked at then dismissed was Project Lead the Way. That program did not provide for enough flexibility for the high schools in our consortium. The University of Cincinnati wanted to develop a high school course that was similar to their first year engineering course. It is an exploratory class in engineering. It surveys several different disciplines. The university wanted the high schools to teach by hands-on laboratory experience. The University would supply the lectures. Students' homework would be watching the lessons from the professors at home. Then, when they come to class, there would be labs designed around the lectures. All three high schools thought this was a good idea. We met once a month to discuss what should be taught and how it could be taught. All three high schools had engineering fields of interest they wanted to teach and the University's had some areas also. Over a period of about 2-3 months, a course outline was developed. The thought process that went into the outline was to make the class interesting to both sexes, and cover material they would need to know to make an informed decision as to a possible engineering field of study to pursue in college. If you are considering starting a class like this the suggestions I have for you would be use resources in your area. Team up with your local 2 or 4 year college or university to help develop content areas. Then research the different programs out there to find out what is best for your communities needs. Use your parents. Mine have been extremely helpful. They want to be involved. Your job is to tell them what you want them to do. You may need to give them direction on how to write a lesson, but they want to help. Parents and local engineers are also a good resource to use as guest speakers. The IEEE has a great web sit on how to help engineers be good classroom resource. If you are interested in joining our consortium we would love to help you. We can provide you with the binder and access to the University of Cincinnati's blackboard to get the lessons from there. A public web site regarding our project is now available at www.eng.uc.edu/eet. If you have any other questions about what we are doing at Princeton High School, you can contact me at 513-552-8417 or email me at blien@princeton.k12.oh.us. Brian Lien Use Music to Build an Emotional ConnectionOver the summer, I tuned into the Live Earth concerts (promoting green to save the planet) and heard a report that discussed the reasons why they use music to build consciousness about global issues. The announcer said they use music because music builds an emotional connection. It is through this emotional connection that people will hear a message that they may not be able to hear otherwise.So I got to thinking, why don't we do more of that in engineering? Studies show that students involved in music have better grades in math. It seems so obvious. Watch almost any commercial on TV and you'll hear music in the background trying to elicit some emotional response from the viewer. Kids are bombarded with so much stimulus (noise, color and movement) that by the time they get to class, they are tired and maybe having trouble concentrating in a quiet environment. Their world rarely lets them be quiet. And, now that so many middle and high school kids have cell phones, the odds of quiet time have seriously diminished. On one Saturday last month, my 15-year old daughter received 45 calls on her cell phone from friends! As educators, we can begin the battle by trying to relay information in a way that they are more accustomed to receiving. For example, if you can integrate music into your everyday lessons, you may reach a few more students that otherwise wouldn't listen to your wisdom. Here are a few examples:
Use Graphics to Enhance MeaningEngineering Graphics is a field of engineering that is taught mostly (but not exclusively) in engineering technology programs. It's a technical way to visually communicate ideas, designs, and solutions. However, it is a form of communication that is often overlooked.Communication, especially in engineering, can mean the difference between getting the job, or not. In this age of IM (Instant Messaging) students need to take every opportunity to enhance their communication skills. Engineers Week has an activity posted called, "The Microprocessor: Peanut Butter and Jelly Activity." In this activity, students create a precise set of instructions to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This is an excellent communication activity because after the students work on writing the instructions, you can have them redo the activity using text and illustrations or just with illustrations. All forms of communication are valuable and when using graphics to convey ideas, you may see the spark in a student's eye that wasn't there before. Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwich Activity Web page The Big Benefit of Engineering CampsSummer camps can provide an innovative approach to preparing for a career in engineering or evaluating if that career is the right choice. Students can find out what it is like to study engineering, about the different types of engineers and what engineers do on a daily basis. Most engineering schools offer residential or commuter summer engineering camps for middle or high school students. In addition to problem solving skills, camps can help students develop leadership and professional and personal organizational skills; and they provide opportunities to meet and talk with engineers during visits to local engineering companies.In your efforts to recruit students, by just saying that you are a great engineering or engineering technology school and listing the benefits, you are essentially positioning yourself to be just like everyone else. There is nothing remarkable about attending. It will be the usual college experience. Today‚ smart recruiters attempt to become objective resources for their prospective students and families. In their ads, instead of saying, "HEY LOOK WHAT WE HAVE!" they might say, in a roundabout way, "Hi there, friend. I understand you may be interested in attending engineering school. I hope you'll consider coming here, but in the meantime, we have this terrific engineering camp that may help you decide if we are right for you." That's a different approach, and it's very effective. Instead of pushing your school down their throats, you are reaching out to prospective students as a friend who understands their needs. The EESC maintains a listing of engineering camps and it is the most frequently visited page on our site. Currently, our Web site is getting in excess of 300,000 hits per month so if your program is not listed, click on the Add or modify a listing link and get it online. There is no cost. Web site: http://www.engineeringedu.com/summercamps.html Article was adapted from, "Use your ads to make friends" at Brand University. http://www.nextstepmagazine.com/nextstep/articlePage1.aspx?artId=2726&categoryId=28 Merging Art and Science - Excerpt from "The Fantastical Engineer"Theme parks merge science and art in an attempt to create an illusion that is so close to reality that your mind and emotions cannot distinguish the real from the magical. The idea behind the development of most theme parks is to envelop the visitor in a seemingly different time and place.Walt Disney opened Disneyland, the first theme park, on July 17th, 1955. Disneyland was different from other amusement parks at the time because its attractions and rides told stories. A story told in a theme park attraction strives to engage all five of the guests' senses. A well-told story weaves a complex web that engages the guest's vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, and sense of touch. A wonderful attraction can make people laugh and cry and want to applaud an illusion that feels like reality. Imagineering, a term coined by Walt Disney, refers to the work of a team of people who are responsible for the creation and development of all elements of a theme park. This unique team can include illustrators, architects, interior designers, landscape designers, machinists, writers, artists, researchers, schedulers, sound technicians, model-makers, filmmakers, carpenters, estimators, accountants, industrial designers, graphic designers, and of course, engineers. According to Nathan Naversen, a themed attraction designer and consultant, "Engineers figure out a way to make it work. Whether it be sizing the structural columns and measuring shear forces on a roller coaster, or developing new electronics to make an animatronic character function (animatronics is the electronic technology used to animate motorized puppets or characters.) Engineers do the math to make everything stand up." Civil, structural and mechanical engineering are the most common majors for engineers on the Imagineering team. How do they make it all stand up? Imagineers attempt to transport the guest to the magical story-world they have created. Illusion and reality often overlap. The more senses that an engineer can engage simultaneously, the more real the created environment seems to be. To have a make-believe environment seem real, the technology behind it must be invisible. Art and science must blend into illusion. The imagineers know they have done their job well when their guests return again and again to experience the magic they have created. Appealing to the five senses is no easy task. It may take a whole team of people working together to create a feature that engages only one sense. Entertainment engineering is a hot topic to motivate students. To read more, visit: http://engineeringedu.com/store/fantastical.html The Awards CeremonyLast night, I had the privilege of giving the Society of Women Engineers Awards (SWE) to up and coming female engineering students at Springfield High School. The five awards I presented were well deserved. The girls all had high GPAs, SAT scores, maintained part-time jobs and participated in community service projects. Their accomplishments were amazing. Together, the students at this school won scholarships in excess of $1.3M. The ceremony was engaging, the students were proud and the parents were beaming. I couldn’t help but notice that of the 54 students in attendance, about 40 of them were women. So the question is, what creates the disparity? The National Center for Education Statistics reports that women are earning 60 percent of all associate’s degrees and 58 percent of all Bachelor’s degrees. Apparently, they are getting the majority of scholarships to attend college too. Do the women just apply for more scholarships? Are the boys not as deserving? Is it writing talent that won the scholarships? Do we need to help the boys more? Engineering for All High School Students– Contributed by Cary Sneider, Boston Museum of ScienceAs states revise their science standards for all students, many have explicitly included technology and engineering so that all students can learn about the designed world, develop practical problem-solving skills, and expand their career horizons. Engineering the Future (EtF): Science, Technology, and the Design Process is a new laboratory course for the first year of high school science, created to help a broad spectrum of students meet these standards. EtF is a full-year lab course organized around four projects, each of which is divided into several tasks. In the first project, students design solutions to problems that they find interesting. In the second, they design energy-efficient buildings to counter the problems associated with urban sprawl. In the third unit, they learn about thermal-fluid engines as they design and build toy putt-putt boats, and write patent applications for their innovations. The fourth project challenges the students to design electric circuits. Units two, three, and four illustrate how the same fundamental concepts of energy flow apply to thermal, fluid, and electrical systems. Kits are available for projects 3 and 4 and the entire course can be implemented on a modest budget. After four years of development, including two years of field-testing by more than 160 teachers, EtF has been published by Key Curriculum Press. Interested teachers can request a free review copy at the following website: http://www.keypress.com/etf Underwater Vehicle CompetitionsThe post below is from Brian Lien, a teacher at Princeton High School in Ohio. His students built underwater remote operating vehicles (ROVs). The interesting thing is that his project is considered Marine Engineering. Marine and Ocean engineering are important branches of engineering, especially since we are studying all aspects of the ocean environment to determine our effect on the oceans, the ocean as a natural resource and its effect on ships and other marine vehicles. For me personally, water is relaxing and the ocean has always beckoned. I’m sure there are many students that feel the same way. A career being outside enjoying the water would be especially appealing. This line of work is a welcomed defiance to most of the stereotypes about what engineers do all day. http://www.phs.princeton.k12.oh.us/photos/0708photos/departments/teched/ROV%20Project/index.html The above link will show you some pictures, QuickTime videos, and a media release of an underwater ROV building contest we just completed. My students really did have fun with this project. The students had to hook an electromagnet to the vehicle and then retrieve 5 washers off the bottom of the pool. 2 of 7 groups were totally successful. One group picked up 3 washers at one time and dropped them into the bucket. Several groups got their ROV’s to “fly” however, once they picked up the washer at the bottom of the pool, they did not have enough power to get their ROV to go up high enough to fly over to the bucket and drop them into the recovery area. The students learned a great deal from the lab and so did I. I will use a different power supply next year. I will stress the fact that smaller is better (even though the 2 that worked were among the largest). One of them worked with one engine out of commission. We got the idea from FSEA (Future Scientist and Engineers Association). Once we started into the project I found a site from MATE. They have a contest similar to what I did with my students. Next year I am considering making a team to compete in the competition. The link below is to the MATE Regional competition site. There is some really good information here if you are interested. I would be willing to help anyone with the project if you want more information, grading Rubrics, or lesson plans. I invited parents and had 2 show up. One of them was from a group that worked. What Does an Engineer Look like?My last post talked about taking a picture to provide a positive memory and get word of mouth marketing at the same time. The problem with engineering is that we don’t know what an engineer looks like and it’s an amorphous shape that changes over time. You can put on a lab coat and people automatically think doctor or scientist. A headset implies telephone operator, sales person or receptionist. A space suit screams Astronaut. Pilots, firefighters, police people, photographers, teachers, construction people, farmers and many other occupations have a certain “look”. But what does an engineer look like? One problem with determining the look is that the field is so broad. Engineers design, manufacture, build, research, write, investigate and present their findings. It’s easy to think of engineers designing rides at Disney or crawling around inside of a bridge to check for stress cracks. We know what that looks like but what about the engineers that don’t design things? How do we show an engineer that is checking air quality or researching new and safer ways to dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbs? I don’t know the answer, but as a profession, we need to work on it. Use resources from the Society of Women Engineers (SWE)When planning events for Engineers Week, don't overlook the Society of Women Engineers. If you are a teacher or event planner, send an email to your local branch asking for an engineer to come talk to your class or participants. Not only is this great for all students but it is especially good for girls to see women engineers and understand the profession from a woman's viewpoint. In addition, from the contacts you make, you may be able to arrange for some students to job shadow. Many SWE sections are already doing outreach activities and you may find out about an opportunity to be involved in ongoing events hosted by SWE throughout the year. Powerful Pictures
Nerd GirlsEarlier this month, I received an excited email from an engineering advocate telling me that I needed to get to the store ASAP and check out the current issue of Newsweek, page 44. I wouldn’t be disappointed. The closest store was a Grocery store but the issue they had was old. I went to another store and their issues were also old. So I waited two days and tried again. When I saw the new issue (June 16, 2008) on the stand, I first looked at the cover and the word “recession” in large letters across the front. I knew this insider tip had to be better than getting me to read about the recession. Just as I was about to turn to page 44, I glimpsed an article heading called “Nerd Girls” and knew that was what I came for. The article talks about “Nerd Girl” engineering students at Tuft’s University in Boston that are part of new breed of young women that are “challenging the notion of what a geek should look like, either by intentionally sexing up their tech personas, or simply finding no disconnect between their geeky pursuits and more traditionally girly interests such as fashion, makeup and high heels.” They have T-shirts emblazoned with “Nerd Girls,” they can talk for hours about aerodynamics and they are working together to build a solar car. The subheading of the article says “ As geeks become chic in all levels of society, an unlikely subset is starting to roar. Meet the Nerd Girls: they’re smart, they’re techie and they’re hot.” If you spend any time trying to get more girls into engineering or you just want to see more women get involved, be sure to pick up a copy of the article. It’s definitely a wonderful way to spend 10-15 minutes of your day. A Different Approach to RecruitingPurdue University is running a “Cheering in the Classroom” summer camp. They are using it get more girls interested in engineering and technology. There’s a great video about it on the link below but basically, campers spend the week learning about different careers by creating virtual cheerleaders, mixing their own music and programming team pyramids. They work with Purdue Cheerleaders and use a cheerleading/dance platform to learn about each major. This is definitely a new approach to learning and recruiting. Can your program do something similar? Can you have students make rap songs about engineering? What about creating their own engineering commercials or YouTube videos? What would it take to use football, volleyball or track as a platform to learn about technology? The real beauty of Purdue’s program is the technology department’s ability to work with other departments in the University. Unfortunately, this is a rare occurrence. http://www.tech.purdue.edu/Student_Life/diversity/cheering_in_the_classroom.cfm The Intel Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)
 Every year, I try to follow The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair news. The kids that enter are amazing! Students have a chance to dream and create big ideas like: a better way to get fresh water to victims of natural disasters, a way to help the blind and disabled access the Internet, or illustrate ground-breaking mathematical theory. According to Intel, these innovations, and more than a thousand like them, are on display every year at the fair, a global celebration of scientific excellence. The Fair was held in Atlanta in May. Competing were 1550 students from 51 countries. There was more than $4 million in scholarships and prizes. This year, more than 20 percent of the young scientists and engineers either had or had applied for a patent for their work.For 2008, the top three $50,000 scholarships were awarded to females! Last year, the top three awards went to males. To read about their amazing projects, check out the press release. My last two blog posts, Nerd Girls and A Different Approach to Recruiting were also about girls succeeding in engineering. Maybe the tide is turning. Maybe all the study on recruiting, retention, learning styles and learning environments are paying off. Maybe all the funding for girl-centric STEM programs are reaping some rewards. The future for women in engineering looks bright but there are still many hurdles to clear. If you are leading a STEM program for girls, I hope this blog post gives you the acclaim and motivation that you rightfully deserve. Keep up the fight so the rest of us can read about your success, cheer you on and reap the benefits that more women in engineering will bring to the marketplace, society and the planet! PBS and Design Squad
 A few years ago, when Design Squad first came out, I was so excited that finally, I could watch a show about kids doing engineering on TV! It was like a dream come true…kids, engineering and fun, right here in my own house. As the premiere date was approaching, I wanted to know what time to assemble the entire family and plop down in front of the tube. As I scanned the TV Guide listings for PBS, I couldn’t find Design Squad at all. After a little investigation, I found out that it simply wasn’t going to air in Eugene. What???? Can they really do that? Eugene is the second largest city in Oregon, surely there was some mistake? Unfortunately, there was no mistake. PBS here says that the demographics of this area indicate that the people are not interested. As you can imagine, by that time, I was pulling my hair out because I was so very interested. Time passed and suddenly, I really wanted to see the show again. However, this time, I was successful in seeing it because I found it on iTunes. I had to pay $1.99 per episode but that was much easier than waiting for the PBS station here to change their mind about airing it. And, I could watch it on the airplane. If you aren’t familiar with Design Squad, I’d suggest that you surf on over to http://pbskids.org/designsquad/. Design Squad is a reality competition show aimed at kids and people of all ages who like reality or how-to television. Its goal is to get viewers excited about engineering and the design process. Over 13 episodes, eight high school contestants tackle engineering challenges for real world clients-from creating cardboard furniture projects for IKEA to designing a gravity bike (no pedals or cranks!) for Extreme Game champion Tom Whalen. The series has free engineering resources you can use in classrooms, afterschool programs, and event settings to get middle school kids excited about engineering. If you are interesting in working with students to promote engineering, you’ll also be interested in the:
PBS' Design Squad is offering kids at home a chance to get in on the action: the Trash to Treasure Competition challenges kids to take everyday discarded or recycled materials and re-engineer them into functional products. The grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize provided by the Intel Foundation and a trip to the development lab at Continuum, an award-winning international design and innovation consultancy, to build a prototype of his or her Trash to Treasure design. The competition runs April 1 – August 31, 2008 and is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and US territories and possessions, who are between the ages of 5 and 19 (and not have graduated high school) at the time an entry is submitted. For more information, go to: http://pbskids.org/designsquad/contest K-12 Engineering Curriculum AwardMotivating students to become engineers comes in many forms. One form that will be awarded and recognized by the K-12 Engineering Curriculum Award is curriculum writing. If you are a teacher and write inspiring hands-on, real-world engineering curriculum, you can get recognized, win $1000, get a trophy plus receive an all expense paid trip (up to $1500) to NSTA, ITEA or ASEE for your outstanding contribution! This is a rare opportunity to show-off your talent and let your voice be heard on an International playing field. Don't delay. The deadline is October 15, 2008 and that will be here before you know it. Apply for it today! http://teachengineering.org/award.php The Cost of Title IXI read an article today about federal agencies setting up programs to look for sexual discrimination at Universities receiving federal grants. Title IX, the law forbidding sexual discrimination in education has been limited mostly to sports. But now, under pressure from Congress, some federal agencies are targeting science. In short, if your university is receiving grant money, the government can step in to insist that you have a certain number of women professors/researchers in the ranks. According to the New York Times article, A New Frontier for Title IX: Science, “The reviews so far haven’t led to any requirements for gender balance in science departments. But Christina Hoff Sommers, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who has written extensively about gender wars in academia, predicts that lawyers will work gradually, as they did in sports, to require numerical parity. ‘Colleges already practice affirmative action for women in science, but now they’ll be so intimidated by the Title IX legal hammer that they may institute quota systems,’ Dr. Sommers said. ‘In sports, they had to eliminate a lot of male teams to achieve Title IX parity. It’ll be devastating to American science if every male-dominated field has to be calibrated to women’s level of interest.’” The enforcement seems great when you think about an “old-school” type of situation where highly qualified and deserving women haven’t been welcomed by the gate-keepers. A workplace full of bias and very low hanging glass ceilings. However, the enforcement doesn’t seem so good when you think about this in terms of a successful young researcher, losing his position because the university had to hire a woman. The enforcement also doesn’t consider that the women hired may not be wanted which creates an environment where no one, males or females, are productive. Nevermind the fact that it marginalizes women by implying that they can’t compete and need a helping hand. In engineering school you learn to solve problems first by analyzing it to determine the root of the problem. Is government regulation the solution to this problem? The first step should be to determine if women really want equal parity in engineering departments and how was this determined? If they indeed want it and are qualified, are they able to get it? Is there data to support the findings? If women make up 20 percent of the engineering workforce, should they be granted 50 percent of the jobs? It’s my assessment that the government may be trying to force a solution to the wrong problem. Asking if women want equal parity in an engineering department may seem like a no-brainer but if the department has no role models and is a lonely, limiting, and uncomfortable place to work, why would any woman aspire to be included? Especially when we know that intelligent, resourceful women have the world in the palm of their hand and therefore, also have many choices. I personally know of many women that left engineering school because of poor advisers, a lack of women friendly programs and a lack of mentors. Let’s start with the environment to make it more equitable and desirable and then we can consider Title IX. To read the article, go to: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/t/john_tierney/index.html Book Review – Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century
When I first got this book, I thought it was going to be just another dry publication – the kind that is very valuable but puts you to sleep after a few pages. I’m pleased to say that I was surprised by the hope and focus of the book. The intentions behind it are honorable and it depicts an engineering education that almost any undergraduate student would want. It clearly shows the need for engineering education reform and offers multiple ways to get there. I appreciated that the writer’s did not offer a one-size-fits-all solution but showed multiple opportunities that could appeal to many different types of institutions and students. Phase I in the Engineer of 2020 project, Visions of Engineering in the New Century, described a set of attributes that are expected to be necessary for engineers that will perform well in a world that is driven by rapid technological advancement, national security needs, aging infrastructure in developed countries, environmental challenges brought about by population growth and diminishing resources, and the creation of new disciplines that exist at the interfaces between engineering and science. These attributes call for us to educate technically proficient engineers who are broadly educated, see themselves as global citizens, can be leaders in business and public service, and who are ethically grounded. Wednesday is the Big Day! Countdown starts in quest to pierce secrets of Universe
Particle physicists believe they will throw open a new frontier of knowledge on Wednesday when, 100 metres (325 feet) below ground, they switch on a mega-machine crafted to unveil the deepest mysteries of matter. It may also determine the outcome of novel theories about space-time: does another dimension -- or dimensions -- exist in parallel to our own? If this sounds difficult to convey to students, you can relax because the CERN engineers and scientists put together a catchy and technically accurate rap song that you can show your students to celebrate the big event! Thankfully, the words to the song are on the bottom of the screen and they expalin what is happening and what CERN is trying to accomplish. Bravo CERN!
World's biggest atom-smasher: Mission profile Read more about it at Physorg.com
Mind Reading 101Back when I was a kid, we lived in a time of content scarcity. If we wanted to research something, we went to the library. If we wanted to watch a cartoon, we waited until Saturday morning. If we wanted to listen to a new song, we waited for the radio to play it again. Today, kids live in a world of content infinity. When they have a question, they ask Google, Ask.com or Wikipedia. When they want to watch a specific cartoon, they push the “play” button on their on-demand system or they visit the channel’s website to watch it on the Internet. When they hear a song they like, they download it from iTunes. They live in a world of made-to-order instant gratification. For us engineering education advocates, the problem isn’t about finding information on engineering careers, locating hands-on activities, or helping students decide which college to attend. It’s more about figuring out:
To find what is appealing to students, The National Academy of Engineering conducted a major study to address the messages we portray to pre-college students about engineering. The findings (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12187) show that young people want jobs that make a difference. Additional recommendations from the research study are as follows:
Now you just have to figure out when and how to use the recommendations. They are affordable (they focus on communicating) and just require that you update your terminology when talking about engineering. The other day, when I made a mistake in a conversation, I said, “Sorry, that was my mistake.” That same day, when my teenage son made a mistake, he said, “my bad”. When we saw a man walking that was wearing lots of jewelry, my kids said, “Look at that Bling!” At first, I thought that was derogatory – then they explained it. Learning a new form of communication is like learning a new language. It takes patience and practice before it sounds and feels right. The important thing is that you keep trying.
Webinar - Strategies for Recruiting Women into Technology ProgramsWhen: Friday, October 10, 2008. 10 am PDTPresenter: Celeste Baine Register here (it's free): http://www.matecnetworks.org/webinars/ Webinar Description: Technicians, technologists, and engineers use knowledge, skills and the engineering method to make stuff - tools, structures, processes - to solve problems. They use available resources such as time, materials and labor to do so. As a group, females are more likely to want to use a tool to do something - solve a problem, make a product, streamline a chore - than to want to use the tool for its own sake. If women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities participated in the U.S. science, engineering, and technology workforce in parity with their percentages in the total workforce population, it would give America almost all the qualified workers it will need. Girls make great technicians, technologists and engineers! Women have a long history of using tools and materials to solve the problems of feeding, sheltering and clothing their families. Join us on Oct 10 and learn effective strategies for recruiting women into technology programs, the major career motivators, examples of what technicians, technologists and engineers can do that might appeal to young girls, and some of the reasons that girls turn away from the field. -- To prepare for the webinar, Mark Viquesney of MATEC Network, my host, asked me a few questions. Mark: Why is it difficult to get women into technical programs? Celeste: Technology programs tend to attract the brightest students. The advantage for these students is that, because they are so bright, they can go into many different fields. The world is wide open for them so it’s up to technical colleges, schools and programs to show them why an engineering or technology career is better than any of their other choices. Women want to know that their career will help others, improve society and/or make a difference. So suddenly, the marketing efforts at various colleges have to change their approach from: Nuts and bolts = product or technology to The nuts and bolts required to create or design a product or technology = a better environment, enhanced healthcare, a better life, etc. In other words, the marketing needs to focus on the big picture instead of the immediate solution. The message that needs to be conveyed is: by pursuing this technology or engineering degree you will make a difference in the world. This is challenging because making a difference is subjective and many students may not know yet what makes them have an “ah ha” moment. Mark: Are more women getting into technical programs then before? Why do you think that is? Celeste: According to “Inside Higher Ed” on August 7, 2007, women are enrolling in engineering and technology programs at a much higher rate than previously found. Fields such as biomedical engineering or technology and environmental engineering or technology show the highest increases. When you study the numbers, many of the career tracks that attract girls are multidisciplinary. Mark: What’s the best way to appeal to women? Celeste: Not many students know their career path at 16, 19 or even 21. One of the easiest strategies for attracting women is to broaden the outcome of their degree. Women want to know that they have choices. Diverse and plentiful opportunities exist for the educated non-mainstream technologist or engineer with a good understanding of scientific and technical subjects. Highlighting that a degree in technology or engineering means that, in addition to a great career as a technologist or engineer, they can also be a writer, teacher, politician, business person, doctor, or lawyer. These professions require analytical, integrative, and problem-solving abilities, all of which are part of a technology education. Thus, a technology degree offers an ideal undergraduate education for living and working in today’s technologically dependent society. I hope I'll see you there!
Come to the largest book release party in the state! First 50 people will receive a free autographed copy! Engineers Make a Difference is about “showing the color” of engineering and, as a result, capturing students’ passion, imagination, curiosity and dreams; to inspire them to create a life of abundance, meaning and satisfaction from such a pursuit. It’s about finding ways to attract diversity in traditionally white, male- dominated fields, and it examines how we can use engineering’s full rainbow of choices to enhance the public’s perception of engineering — making it more understandable, captivating and socially desirable. With a focus on the state of K-12 engineering education and motivating students, this book is an invitation to explore engineering and share the fun with students of all ages. Loaded with practical suggestions and over a dozen ways to lure the least-interested student. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind event! Evening Events:
Free hor d'oeuvre's, wine, beer and non alcoholic drinks will be served. Who is Celeste Baine? Celeste is the Director of the Engineering Education Service Center which produces hands on activities, books, videos, posters, pins and many other items that support teachers, outreach programs, after school programs and professional engineers who want to mentor students. Celeste is the author of over 20 publications on engineering careers and can help you get your program jump-started. She is the go-to person on this subject! Awards and accolades:
Engineering is Problem SolvingProblem-solving has been the path by which some of the most amazing inventions and technologies have arrived in the market today. They exist because one engineer had an idea. This is easy to see when you think about iPods, Roomba Vacuum cleaners, electric, hydrogen and fuel cell cars, rockets, plasma TVs, pacemakers, airplanes, wind farms and on and on.An engineering education teaches you how to think through a problem in order to solve it. These mental agility skills are great life skills too. They not only help in numerous career paths, they also help when raising a family (Cheaper by the Dozen, starring Steve Martin, was the real-life story of the Gilbreths — two industrial engineers trying to raise 12 children) or if you are lost in the wilderness (Man vs. Wild is the story of Bear Grylls, a survivalist that invents all kinds of gadgets to help him make it back to civilization.) Here is an example: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29586-man-vs-wild-waterfall-depth-gage-video.htm There are many examples of engineering on television. Hollywood usually doesn’t like to call it engineering but we know differently right? This month, I’m going to give away 5 copies of my new book, Engineers Make a Difference, to the first readers that can give me examples of other shows on TV that do engineering without calling it engineering. You can’t use the examples above, the less obvious the better and the more detail you include about why a certain show or episode of a show is engineering, the more likely you are to win. To enter, post your answer(s) in Talkback. Good luck! Hollywood Problem SolversWe had great responses to the Engineering is Problem Solving blog last week. I gave away five copies of my new book, Engineers Make a Difference, to the readers that gave me examples of other shows on TV that do engineering without calling it engineering.Winner #1 picked my favorite – Batman. Eric Heiselt described, “whether it be movies, TV or cartoon. Batman is the ultimate engineer. He is the only "superhero" without superpowers, he only uses his brain. He engineered every tool on his utility belt as well as his car and other vehicles.” Winner #2 chose my son’s favorite “engineering” show – Ironman. Reed Brockman said, “If you haven't seen it, drop everything and watch it now.” Winner #3 chose the classic – McGyver. David Keathly said, “he was always having to solve problems and think on his feet to invent some gadget to get out of a bad situation.” Winner #4 chose my childhood favorite – Gilligan’s Island. Mike Day said, “The best example is the professor on Gilligan's Island. He made everything, including a bike, out of bamboo and other items found on the island. One time he made a glue and they fixed the boat, but the glue did not hold.” Winner #5 was the most creative – The Food Network. Greg Goldbogen said, “The Food Network Challenge and Ace of Cakes. In each of these the chefs create the most amazing cakes which require some knowledge of structural engineering in order to ensure that the cakes, some of which are immense structures, do not collapse. This is especially important when they are transported.” I don’t watch much TV but this week, I sat down a few times and was very surprised that just by thinking about engineering and examples in Hollywood, I saw things I must have missed earlier. On Chuck, his ex-girlfriend is a biomedical engineer that develops an antidote to a lethal gas. Crusoe is all things engineering. He built his tree house, uses simple machines for everything and constantly solves his own unique problems, and CSI shows use all sorts of gadgets to solve crimes. If you haven’t read the posts, take a few minutes to see what your colleagues are thinking. All of the examples are excellent and they will give you some great ideas for classroom projects! If your students enjoy watching TV or going to the movies, have them write a paper identifying the engineers doing engineering work in what they saw. 50 Reasons to Teach EngineeringThis list could also be called, “50 Reasons to Become an Engineer.” They work hand in hand.With a little creativity, any one of these reasons can become a lesson or discussion about engineering careers and serve as a catapult to further exploration.
Celeste's Top 10 List of K-12 Engineering Education Programs Amended on Monday, Dec. 15, 2008. - Now, this list is the top 11 K-12 Engineering Education Programs Almost every time I present at a conference or attend an engineering event, a school district administrator or teacher asks me what engineering programs or curriculum are available. Usually, this person is charged with the responsibility of implementing a standards-based engineering academy or program in their school or district. They invariably want something easy, proven and engaging for the teachers and students. If you want to know what is going on in engineering education around the United States, this list is for you. However, it's not all-inclusive. These are just a few of the more popular approaches to implementing engineering at the K-12 level.
But that's not all, a few companies are also working to bring engineering education into focus by creating learning laboratories. A few of the more prominent and proven examples include:
If you want more information about technology and engineering resources, visit the Boston Museum of Science’s teacher-reviewed selection of the best standards-based technology and engineering curriculum resources for your classroom at http://www.mos.org/tec. |
