Dana Elzey / Engineering

This project will identify a small group (4-7) of third year engineering undergraduates, who will participate in a series of evening seminars. The seminars have two main goals: firstly, to introduce participants to the life and work of faculty in engineering, and secondly, to guide them in the preparation of an ‘intro to engineering’ seminar they will be required to deliver to a high school audience. This project is intended for engineering undergraduates interested in graduate study and potentially, in an academic career. The ‘intro to engineering’ seminar participants will design and give, is intended to provide the undergraduate participants with a taste of teaching and course development, but also to serve an outreach function, potentially raising awareness among high school students of engineering career paths and opportunities.

The undergraduate seminar series will take place between October and March. SEAS participants will be expected to identify a high school (may be local to their hometown or local to the University region), work with a partner at the high school (teacher or administrator), and give the ‘intro to engineering’ presentation sometime between March and June. Ideally, the presentations would take place after HS students have had the opportunity to complete their AP exams. The HS presentations would target an intended audience of 11th graders. The project funds will be used to provide dinners for the UVA seminars, for small honoraria for invited dinner guest speakers, and to purchase supplies for HS presentations (as detailed below).

This Kinnier (Mead Endowment) project is intended to address the need for increased numbers of students in engineering undertaking advanced studies, to help attract more SEAS students to consider academic career paths in engineering, and to reach out to raise awareness of engineering careers and education among high school students.

Costs: 6 dinners at $150 each, 6 intro to engineering presentations at $250 each, 3 honoraria for invited dinner guests at $100 each = $2,700.