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| Home : Volume 31 : Spring 2005 : | |
| PINPOINT: Message from the dean | |
Dean Paul Peercy
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The training of engineers actually begins long before they enter college. It really begins at a young age with a solid foundation in math and science classes, and exposure to the wonders of science that help cultivate an engineer's curiosity. The combination helps a young person be open to and interested in a career as an engineer.
As a college, we contribute to this process through our many science outreach efforts. I would like to highlight just a few of them. One of our biggest is, of course, Engineering EXPO, which is featured in this issue of PERSPECTIVE. Thousands of middle and high-school students descend on the college every two years to immerse themselves in the latest engineering technology and see hands-on exhibits created by engineering students. They also hold their own competitions at EXPO — in the past these have included bridge building and creating Rube Goldberg devices. I have met many engineering students who say that they became interested in engineering by attending an EXPO in middle or high school.
We are also part of a group of science faculty, students and outreach staff called the Science Alliance. Science Alliance organizes science outreach programs at UW-Madison to synergize their work and to make it easier for the public to find and use the people, facilities and other resources of the university to explore science as a way of probing the unknown. The group's public site and home to a calendar of science events around campus is www.science.wisc.edu. The group has declared April "science month" and hosts a large, public hands-on science event called Science Expeditions on the engineering campus each year on the first Saturday in April, in addition to other events throughout the month. Its larger goal is to affirm the university's commitment to outreach (via the Wisconsin Idea) and share new scientific research and insights with people of all ages. Last year, Science Expeditions offered more than 20 "exploration stations" (accessible, hands-on versions of actual science) and drew 1,100 people to campus. This year's event grew to 39 exploration stations and the venue expanded to both Engineering Hall and the Engineering Centers Building, with more than 1,400 people attending. The group's efforts, particularly those of Science Expeditions, are funded via a UW-Madison Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment administered through the Campus Information and Visitor Center. The Baldwin Grants are intended to advance the Wisconsin Idea through new and innovative initiatives and create new partnerships to benefit communities.
The college is also home to the Young Scientists of America (YSA) organization, which promotes an interest in science, math, and technology in young people ages 8-18 through hands-on experience in scientific or technical areas with the interaction of sponsors, mentors or instructors. Through the YSA, coordinators Van Valaskey and Gary Graper are working with 12 engineering undergraduate groups in this K-12 effort. In February, YSA and two engineering student groups facilitated a Madison Regional Science Olympiad competition at Madison's Edgewood College. One of the events was an airplane event called Wright Stuff, where engineering students helped to judge the rubber-band-powered airplane models that high school Science Olympiad teams had built. The challenge is to design and build planes that stay in the air for the longest period of time. Another event was "Storm the Castle," where high-school students bring a catapult they have built to the competition to test it for accuracy and distance.
We are further enhancing YSA's Science Olympiad efforts through funds we recently received from another UW-Madison Baldwin Grant. The proposal, called the "High School and Middle School Science Olympiad Outreach Program," will develop outreach programs at Wisconsin middle schools and high schools to encourage increased involvement in science and math. The program will use UW-Madison students as mentors, allowing them to develop their outreach and leadership skills. The primary focus will be increasing the number of schools participating in Science Olympiad teams. Over time, the program will be extended to students in grades K-6 in collaboration with the Madison Children's Museum. Associate Dean Pat Farrell and I will direct the project.
These are just a few examples of science outreach connected to the College of Engineering. Many of our student groups and national research centers have their own outreach efforts as well. Together, we will continue the work of introducing engineering to young people and showing them what they can accomplish through science. The goal is to create an excitement about the field — and ensure a supply of engineers to meet our technology needs of the future.
Sincerely,
Content by perspective@engr.wisc.edu
Date last modified: Wednesday, 25-May-2005 10:30:05 CDT
Date created: 25-May-2005
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