I’ve attached the description of last summer’s engineering and robotics camps. I have also attached a powerpoint that focuses on those camps involving nature as an engineer. We presented this recently at a national conference. In general, we operate our engineering programs under the heading of Engineering Expectations. Within this there are two major categories: Nature’s Engineers and the more traditional discipline specific Major Engineers (aerospace, chemical, civil, mechanical). I’ve attached the agendas for the Major Engineers camps; the Nature’s Engineers camp agendas are included in the powerpoint. I really don’t have a lot of info written up concerning the Robotics camps. I can describe them or you can contact Dr. Richard Chapman at Auburn University. Here are three emails I have for him: I have photos for most of the camps, some are better than others. This is a justification statement for our engineering program:
Children hold various misconceptions about engineers, including that they are usually men who build or fix things, work indoors with computers, and are generally regarded as geeks. If this is how children view engineers it is no wonder that they do not express an interest in becoming one. Would a child want to be an engineer if they expect they might be ridiculed as a geek? Will altering their conception of an engineer allow them to develop expectations that they could become an engineer? We believe the best way to alter a child’s understanding of engineering is to provide opportunities for them to think like an engineer by utilizing creative problem solving through the design process. |