Peter SeilerAssociate Professor
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Peter Seiler
Peter SeilerAssociate ProfessorElectrical Engineering and Computer Science
(734) 763-6204 4223 EECS1301 Beal AvenueAnn Arbor, MI 48109-2122

Outreach

Objective

To expose children to the excitement of engineering and technology.

Wind Energy

outreach turbine

Airplanes

paper airplane materials

Summary

The specific goal of the project is to introduce underserved children to engineering and technology through a series of engaged activities on the UMN Twin Cities campus. The project is intended to fill two needs. First, the Minneapolis/St. Paul area has a large refugee population but there are minimal programs to introduce the children of refugees to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. Second, the University of Minnesota has several existing outreach efforts to expose children to STEM fields. These include the large, demonstration shows “Physics Force” and “The Energy and U Show” as well as outreach organizations like “Kids on Campus” and “Teaching SMART”. However, there is a need for an engaged, activity-based program that introduces the engineering design process that lies at the heart of technology development. Our proposed project aims to fill these gaps and provide a new opportunity for children to explore technology development and engineering design. We envision this will excite young students about the STEM fields and expose them to engineering as a career path.

Contributors

Jen Annoni, Hans Dosland, David Escobar Sanabria, Masanori Honda, and Raghu Venkataraman.

Last Event: Humboldt Secondary School

When: May 18th and 19th, 2015.

Who: 80 sixth graders from the Humboldt secondary school split into 40 students for each day. This activity was coordinated with Hans Dosland at the International Institute of Minnesota.

What: Students from Humboldt will perform two hands-on activities over the course of the day. Specifically, they will build and test a wind turbine and a glider. The tentative agenda is here.

Where: Akerman Hall at University of Minnesota.

Past Events

  • March 23, 2015: Cedar Riverside Community School, approximately 10 students (6th-8th grade), Airplane activity coordinated with TSMART.
  • November 17, 2014: Cedar Riverside Community School, approximately 15 students (6th-8th grade), Wind turbine activity coordinated with TSMART.

Related Links/Organizations