Society's Grand Challenges in Engineering
as a context for middle school STEM
instruction:
Briefing on proposed project
January 19 and 21, 2010
Investigators:
Amy Wendt, Susan Hagness and Steven Cramer (Engineering)
Kimberly Howard and Allen Phelps (Education)
NSF ITEST Program
• The National Science Foundation is seeking solutions to “help
ensure the depth and breadth of the STEM workforce.”
 ITEST: Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers
 STEM: science, technology, engineering and math
• Program solicitation link
• NSF proposal deadline: early February
• Letters of support from participating schools needed by Feb. 1
• Project duration: 3 years
 our proposed dates: 9/1/2010-8/31/2013
2
UW ITEST proposal
• Project goal:
 create interest in engineering among a larger and more diverse
population of middle school students
• Strategy:
 Introduce grand challenges in engineering (GCE) in math and science
instruction
 Create a school-based GCE community of teachers & counselors to:
 Develop, implement and evaluate GCE instructional resources
 Increase awareness of grand-challenge related careers that utilize
math and science skills
 Collect and use data to:
 evaluate:
• classroom implementation of instructional materials
• changes in student perceptions about engineering and its
relation to personal goals
 improve/expand instructional resources
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Motivation: Diversity in Engineering
• Source: American Society of Engineering Educators, 2008
• Down from 19.5% in 2005 and 21.2% in 1999
• Compared to ~ 50% in biological sciences
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Diversity in Engineering
5
Diversity in Engineering
• Women’s Experiences in College Engineering Project
 Survey of ~25,000 undergraduate women in engineering programs at
53 institutions,1999-2001
 A top reason why women enter engineering:
 attraction to the altruistic kind of work engineers do
 Critical factor in retention:
 exposing women early on to how engineering has led to
improvements in society and the quality of people’s lives
“Final Report of the Women’s Experiences in College Engineering (WECE) Project,” Goodman
Research Group, Inc., Cambridge, MA, April 2002.
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Grand Challenges in Engineering
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/
Sustainability
• Make solar power economical
• Provide energy from fusion
• Develop carbon sequestration methods
• Manage the nitrogen cycle
• Provide access to clean water
• Restore and improve urban infrastructure
Vulnerability
• Prevent nuclear terror
• Secure cyberspace
Health
• Advance health informatics
• Engineer better medicine
• Reverse-engineer the brain
Joy of Living
• Enhance virtual reality
• Advance personalized learning
• Engineer the tools of scientific
discovery
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Background: New GCE course at UW
• InterEgr 102: Cross-disciplinary approach to first-year engineering education
 Builds on NAE themes
 Highlights opportunities to positively shape the world’s future
• Case studies format:
 Modules prepared by both instructors and students
 Based on existing literature – news articles, government reports and research journals
 Wide range of presentation topics
 Students:
 Write written reports
 Prepare/deliver
• Oral presentations
• Poster presentations
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GCE at UW: course for 1st year students
Theme 1: Engineering challenges on a personal scale
Diagnosis/treatment of disease, assistive technologies, rehab
engineering, biometrics, …
Theme 2: Engineering the Wisconsin Idea
Energy, regional eco-systems, transportation, security, …
Theme 3: Engineering for developing communities
Water, housing, health care, lighting, energy, information, …
Theme 4: Engineering the megacity
Pollution, transportation, energy, natural disasters, security, …
Theme 5: Global engineering challenges
Energy, terrorism, biodiversity, pandemics, climate change, …
Theme 6: Engineering beyond planet Earth
Space travel, inhabiting space, near-earth objects, extraterrestrial
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communication, …
GCE at UW: example course content
Topic: early detection/warning to prevent earthquake damage
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after the
quake has occurred
• How?
 Exploit differences between P and S waves1
 Nondestructive P (primary) wave speed: 6-7 km/s
 Destructive S (secondary) wave speed: 3-4 km/s
• Interactive illustrations on National Geographic web site:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/forcesofnature/interactive/index.html?section=e
 Locate an earthquake – Lab 6
• Let’s try it ourselves!
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Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
B
60 km
tp=20 s
ts=50 s
C
tp=10 s
ts=30 s
A
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
tp=0
ts=10 s
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Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
B
60 km
C
A
How far away?
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
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Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
B
60 km
C
A
60 km
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
13
Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
How far away?
B
60 km
C
A
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
14
Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
120 km
B
60 km
C
A
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
15
Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
B
How far away?
60 km
C
A
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
16
Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
180 km
60 km
B
C
A
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
17
Snapshot from GCE case study
Determining location of earthquake epicenter
• Seismometers commonly used to locate the epicenter after
the quake has occurred
• Example: 3 stations record seismic activity
 Where is the epicenter?
B
60 km
C
A
epicenter
P wave speed: 6 km/s
S wave speed: 3 km/s
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Alignment with instructional standards
• This instructional task (determining the location of the earthquake
epicenter) directly aligns with “Mathematical Practice” standards
that are being proposed for the State Common Core Standards in
math.
• See: http://www.corestandards.org/Standards/index.htm
• Quoting the proposed Mathematics Practice standard:
 Proficient students expect mathematics to make sense. They take an
active stance in solving mathematical problems. When faced with a nonroutine problem, they have the courage to plunge in and try something,
and they have the procedural and conceptual tools to carry through. They
are experimenters and inventors, and can adapt known strategies to new
problems. They think strategically.
• More specifically, this task requires or could be developed in ways
that students are required to demonstrate the following standards:
 Construct viable arguments
 Make sense of complex problems
 Look for and make use of structure
19
Impact of GCE course at UW
• Higher % female representation than other UW “Introduction
to Engineering” courses
UW GCE course
Other engineering
intro. courses
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Society’s Grand Challenges in Engineering as
a Context for Middle School Instruction in
STEM
Proposal in preparation for submission to the NSF ITEST program
UW team members
•
•
•
•
•
Amy Wendt, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Susan Hagness, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Steven Cramer, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Kimberly Howard, Counseling Psychology
Allen Phelps, Education Leadership
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UW ITEST proposal
• Project goal:
 create interest in engineering among a larger and more diverse
population of middle school students
• Strategy:
 Introduce grand challenges in engineering (GCE) in math and science
instruction
 Create a school-based GCE community of teachers & counselors to:
 Develop, implement and evaluate GCE instructional resources
 Increase awareness of grand-challenge related careers that utilize
math and science skills
 Collect and use data to:
 evaluate:
• classroom implementation of instructional materials
• changes in teacher/student perceptions about engineering,
and its relation to student personal goals
 improve/expand instructional resources
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Current status
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Goal: GCE awareness through
multiple channels
• Heighten awareness of GCE throughout the school:
 Teachers
 Counselors
 Peers
• Shape students’ sense that STEM careers are possible &
interesting for them
 Messages guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT):
 Self efficacy: belief that one possesses the capability to perform
STEM-related activities
 Outcomes expectations: engaging in STEM-related activities
advances one’s personal goals
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Social Cognitive Career Theory
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Innovation and Research Network
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GCE Implementation: instructional pilot
• Pilot GCE module will provide alternative, context-rich
approaches to teaching core content
• GCE module duration: 1-3 weeks
• GCE module will include instructional materials that:
 Address state/regional standards for the topic
 GCE material will complement instructional content to create a “story
line” for the content
• Before/after student questionnaire on perceptions about
engineering
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Pilot GCE module development
• UW participants will research GCE topics for inclusion in pilot
module
• UW and Madison area school participants will develop
instructional activities to complement GCE material –
academic year 2010-2011
• Summer Institute 2011:
 All participants gather on UW-Madison campus for one week
 UW participants will provide overviews of:
 Grand Challenges in Engineering
 Social Cognitive Career Theory
 GCE middle school pilot module status
 All will discuss, refine, modify and improve pilot module
 Middle school educators will finalize module curriculum and
implementation plan for their schools
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Timeline
Academic year Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Summer
2010-2011
Assemble GCE
content; work with
local schools on
instructional content
Development
continues
Summer Institute;
Finalize pilot
module(s)
2011-2012
Implement pilot;
Implementation,
Evaluate; Develop
development and
additional module(s) evaluation continue
Summer Institute;
Evaluation and
module
revision/development
2012-2013
Implement modules; Implementation and
Evaluate
evaluation continue
Evaluation
completed; Final
report
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How to participate?
• Commit a team of 3-5 educators from your school –
participation from summer 2011 to the end of the 2011-2012
academic year
• Local schools may also participate in GCE module
development during the 2010-2011 academic year
• Travel expenses – stipend and travel expenses provided for
Summer Institute participation
• We request letters of commitment to be included in our
proposal to NSF
 Use school letterhead
 Submit to Prof. Amy Wendt by Monday, Feb. 1
 Email pdf copy to wendt@engr.wisc.edu
 Or fax to 608-262-1267
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Summary (& input for letter of
commitment)
• UW-Madison proposal entitled “Society’s Grand Challenges in
Engineering as a Context for Middle School Instruction in STEM”
• To be submitted to NSF ITEST program – 3 year project
• Goal:
 attract and retain a more diverse pool of students, particularly women, into the
technology workforce
• Motivation:
 studies showing an attraction among female students to the kind of altruistic work
engineers do
• Strategy:
 develop curriculum-specific grand challenges instructional modules appropriate for
middle school
 teacher/counselor training to support classroom use of these materials
 Evaluate changes in teacher/student perceptions about engineering, and its
relation to student personal goals
• Instructional materials
 will be modeled after the "Grand Challenges" curriculum currently in use at the UW
Madison College of Engineering
 school teams (3-5 participants/school) will contribute to module development at
working Summer Institutes at UW-Madison in 2011 and 2012
 will be piloted in schools during 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years
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