Everything I know I learned in
Kindergarten -- Connections
between K-12 Outreach and and
Recruitment and Retention in
Engineering
Skip Rochefort
Chemical Engineering Department
Oregon Sate University
K-12 Outreach Activities with the
Hewlett Foundation at Oregon
State University
Skip Rochefort, Jason Hower, Keith Levien
OSU Chemical Engineering
Ellen Ford, Saturday Academy
Ellen Momsen, OSU COE Women and Minorities Program
And many College of Engineering and High School Students
OSU Hewlett Foundation Grant
• Recruitment and Retention of
Engineering Students
• PI – Toni Doolen, IME
• $1.1 million - 3 years
• $85,000/year for K-12 Outreach
OSU K-12 Outreach Programs
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Dr. Skip Rochefort
Chemical Engineering Department
Director, OSU Precollege Programs
Email: skip@engr.orst.edu
Phone: 737-2408
OSU K-12 Outreach Programs
K-8 (OSU based programs)
– Saturday Academy (Corvallis and Portland)
• *E-Camp* – middle school girls and boys (summer)
• LEGO RoboLab Camp – MS girls and boys (summer)
• *AWSEM *- middle school girls (school year)
– SMILE - Science Math Investigative Learning
Experiences (rural communities)
– Hydroville Project (SMILE associated program)
– Science Education PartnershipS (SEPS – Corvallis)
– Adventures in Learning (grades 5-7 summer programs)
– Expeditions (grades 3-4 summer program)
– Winter Wanderings (grades 3-7 school year)
– KidSpirit (sports/arts summer camps)
– *SKIES* – Spirited Kids in Engineering and Science
(summer camp)
– Wood Magic – College of Forestry
OSU K-12 Outreach Programs
HIGH SCHOOL (OSU based programs)
– Saturday Academy ASE Apprenticeships in Science and
Engineering (statewide)
– SESEY - Summer Experience in
Science and Engineering for Youth
(nationwide)
– Science Connections (Portland)
Oregon K-12 Outreach Programs
COMMUNITY – K-12 and Public Outreach
(Lifelong Learning)
– OMSI – Oregon Museum of Science and
Industry ( statewide connections)
– MESA – Mathematics, Engineering, and
Science Achievement (PSU based)
– 4-H of Oregon (statewide)
– Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of Oregon (and
associated programs)
– daVinci Days (Corvallis celebration of the arts
and sciences)
Mentoring*
• Multiple levels of Mentoring exist in
all activities and programs
• Every individual from Program
Directors to the K-12 students
interact with all levels
* Key to Recruitment and Retention
in Engineering
Mentoring Pyramid
Skip Rochefort
Ellen Ford
Jason Hower
Camp
Coordinators
Engineering
Faculty
Graduates
Undergraduates
High School Students
High School
Programs
Middle School
Programs
Elementary
Programs
E-Camp
SKIES
SKIES
LEGO Camp
AWSEM
Hewlett Foundation Sponsored Programs
SESEY
ASE
Hewlett Foundation Sponsored
Summer 2003 Outreach Log
Program
Number
What
ASE
Who
High School
Students
8
SKIES*
K-8 students
360
E-Cam p*
Middle School
Students
26
SESEY
High School
Students
28
8 wk. research project
Half -day , week long
science and engineering
camp
1wk. Engineering day
camp
1wk. Resident ial
engineering research
camp
1 wk. Half -day lego
robot ics Camp
2 wks. 2hr. Poly mer
science activities
half -day sessions on
polymer science in high
school science cirriculum
Lego Camp
AIL
Middle School
Students
Middle School
Students
31
120
Phy sics
Teachers
Program
High School Science
Teachers
30
BEST
Hawaiian High
School students
15
ASE
Midsummer
Conf erence
High School
Students
AWSEM*
Middle School Girls
TOTAL
150
11
779
When
All Summer
All Summer
mid. July
mid. July
mid. July
early July
Lat e June
Half -day session on
Early August
polymer science activities
2 day conf erence on
technology and work
related skills
Early July
2 hrs. Twice a mont h f or Fall - Wint er
Four mont hs
SKIES
• Spirited Kids in Engineering and
Science
• 11 week-long K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 grade
level camps
• Content areas include
– Engineering: chemical, material science,
environmental
– Science: chemistry, physics, biology
• Inquiry-based with hands-on emphasis
SKIES Photos
E-Camp
• 1 wk. Engineering day camp for middle
school students (15 boys and 11 girls)
• Inquiry-based learning with Chemical,
Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, and
Environmental Engineering Themes
• Lessons taught by Engineering faculty,
graduate, and undergraduate students
• Use of wireless PDAs for data analysis
E-Camp Photos
AWSEM
• Advocates for Women in Science,
Engineering, and Mathematics
• Served 11 Middle School Females
• 8 Sessions on weekends (2 hrs.)
• Activities designed to interest
middle school girls in the sciences
– Chemistry, Anatomy, Math, Engineering,
Physics, Biology
AWSEM Photos
SESEY
• Summer Experience in Science and
Engineering for Youth (High School)
• Week-long research projects in ChE,
BioE, and Chemistry
• Projects created by Faculty, daily
work guided by ChE/BioE students
• 19 HS girls, 9 HS boys from 5 states
SESEY 2003 Photos
ASE
• Saturday Academy Apprenticeships
in Science and Engineering
• 8 week summer internship in ChE or
BioE research laboratories
• Faculty Advisor with
graduate/undergraduate mentors
• Culminates in research symposium
with poster and PowerPoint
presentations
ASE Photos
Four Generations
of ASE
Dr. Skip Rochefort: ASE
Superstar, Faculty Mentor
(kind of), likes to eat
peanuts
Hai Le:
ASE ‘00,
McKay
High,
Senior (will
be Oregon
State Univ.
Chemical
Engineering
fall ‘01)
Jason Hower: ASE ‘97,
Corvallis High,
Sophomore Oregon State
Univ. Chemical
Engineering
Adam Welander: ASE
‘98, Central High,
Freshman Carnegie
Mellon Chemical
Engineering
Annie Gai: ASE ‘99,
Sheldon High, Freshman
Stanford University
Chemical Engineering
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
*Flora and William Hewlett Foundation
*Toni Doolen, OSU Hewlett PI
*OSU Enrollment Management for
Precollege K-12 Program Support
*ALL OSU K-12 Program Directors
* My outreach colleagues Ellen Ford and
Jason Hower….and all the kids!