Pre-College Outreach at a Technical Conference

• Autores: S. E. Watkins, M. A. Huggans, S. J. Bentley
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 25, no. 3, 2009, págs. 436-443
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • A strong technical workforce is essential in a technology-based society. The selection of science, technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) electives and of related careers is influenced by familiarity with and perceptions of engineering. Pre-collegestudents need significant opportunities to interact with engineering professionals and to investigate engineering careers. Also, pre-collegeteachers can gain insight into engineering through such experiences. Technical conferences attract professionals from industry andacademia and showcase technologies. Hence, a conference venue can serve as an enriching environment for a pre-college program.Outreach activities for students and teachers were held at the IEEE GLOBECOM Conference. The participants interacted withconference attendees in selected conference activities and dedicated pre-college events. After the conference, the participants shared thisexperience at their schools. The assessment examined the effectiveness of the interactions and the appropriateness of selected conferenceactivities. The approach can serve as a model for other conference-based outreach programs.