2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Empowering Diversity in STEM: A Collaborative Approach between Engineering Technology and High Schools

Presented at Engineering Engagement Activities

Increasing diversity among engineering technology programs is a target by most colleges and universities. In an effort to raise STEM awareness and generate interest among underrepresented groups and to enroll more students from high schools, a team from xxxxx campus has designed and conducted a series of hands-on activities at a local urban high school starting in fall 2021. The activities that have been put into practice encompass topics related to mechanical and electrical engineering technology. These include materials, manufacturing, hydraulics, electric circuits, and programming. Students nurture their STEM interest through engaging in hands-on practice in the areas of materials processing, data analysis, and model building. Simultaneously, students are exposed to a college learning environment while actively participating in these activities. This paper will discuss the strategies employed to create these activities using resources from existing college laboratory exercises and projects within the engineering technology programs. Fifty-six students from different grades participated in the program based on their interests. The emphasis on underrepresented minority groups aligns with xxxxxx University’s commitment to diversity and aims to increase recruitment from schools with a higher proportion of such students.

Authors

Dr. Wei Vian http://orcid.org/0009-0002-6634-9566 Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Wei Vian is an assistant professor of practice in the program of Mechanical Engineering Technology at Purdue University. She got her Ph.D. from Purdue Polytechnic, Purdue University, West Lafayette. She got her bachelor's and master's degrees both from Eastern Michigan University.
Dr. Maher Shehadi Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Dr. Shehadi is an Associate Professor of MET in the School of Engineering Technology at Purdue University. His academic experience have focused on learning and discovery in areas related to HVAC, indoor air quality, human thermal comfort, and energy conservation. While working in industry, he oversaw maintenance and management programs for various facilities including industrial plants, high rise residential and commercial buildings, energy audits and condition surveys for various mechanical and electrical and systems. He has conducted several projects to reduce CO2 fingerprint of buildings by evaluating and improving the energy practices through the integration of sustainable systems with existing systems. Professor Shehadi also has an interest in air pollution reduction and in providing healthier environment by analyzing the various pollutants that are present in outdoor and indoor air.

His current research focuses on sustainable and green buildings and energy conservation. He is currently investigating various ways to reduce energy consumption in office buildings.
Prof. Kevin D. Taylor Purdue University, West Lafayette [biography]

Kevin Taylor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology. In 2009-2010 he served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of ABET and continues

Download paper (2.9 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session