Welcome to our presentation. We want the experiences of our summer undergraduate researchers -- who work on engineering projects for and with people with disabilities -- to inspire younger students to consider engineering. Specifically, we want young students to think of engineering as a profession that has personal contact with people’s lives. Students who are interested in science and math and really want personal contact with the people they serve might think of nursing, physical therapy, or psychology as professions to explore these interests. We want them to think of engineering in the same way. In a sense we want to “humanize” engineering. This is the inspiration for this “Beyond the Numbers” presentation.

We are looking for the following input:

1) What are ways can we distribute this video and similar videos we produce so that more young people see them?

2) With the goal to include more “people-centered” people in the engineering profession, how can we use our summer undergraduate research program to reach out to young people like this? Right now we produce videos like the one here and we have a “demonstration day” with a local high school.

Don't forget to join us on twitter and our websites.

@csu_chms

chms.csuohio.edu

engineering.csuohio.edu/recsu

Wonderful work! So true that students often don't see how engineering is relevant to them, or that engineers can have a powerful impact on improving communities and people's lives. The undergraduates in your program are relatable and inspiring.

I found this video to be touching, and effective at illustrating the power of engineers to profoundly contribute to improving people's lives. Your question about how to get more young people exposed to this work is an interesting one -- I wonder if your summer undergrads could be tasked with doing some youth outreach (tiktok, instagram, etc.)

I love the practical application of engineering to improve people's lives. Have you tried using STEM hubs to get this video out to more high school students? I know high school teachers in Oregon are scrambling to connect students to different career options so you definitely have an audience. 

What a great REU program and video to share about it. The students featured were amazing. 

For outreach, instagram, tiktok, -- I'll ask my 3 social media experts (in high school) about where they might look.  I'll report back.    

 

 

Great presentation.  Love seeing engineering placed in the context of human stories.  Understanding the potential of engineering to help people is something we're looking at as well, but with a much younger audience.  Inspiring future engineers with a mindset of increasing access is really terrific.  Thank you for your important work.  Tsivia Cohen, Chicago Children's Museum

Great video - I love seeing young people represented in their fullness in STEM contexts. Very inspiring.

One question I had is about how you are connecting to teachers - it seems to me that much of the work around building a STEM identity comes down to regular reinforcement of students' sense of belonging in a field, and teachers are so central to sending that message. Have you thought about how you might explicitly involve teachers in supporting your students as they develop their STEM identities?

Great video and amazing work. I think this is such a great way to not only show the diversity of what engineers can do, but like you state, show engineers aren't all about the math and science. It is often hard in class to relate how what they are studying can one day impact lives. In my younger students I often introduce this definition of an engineer, "One who systematically and professionally applies science and mathematics to the efficient utilization of natural resources to produce wealth and meet societal needs. An engineer is most often constrained in his/her work by safety, cost, and practicality." The students often see "wealth" and think money, but I redirect them to think of wealth as meaning many different things to different people, organizations, societies. Sure, we could design a new airfoil shape that reduces drag and saves money and emissions, but we can also develop a new prosthetic or ADL tool that can significantly improve the "wealth" of one's daily life. I'll say you've inspired me to look at other things my STEM-SURE students can be involved in, thank you.

Thanks for the comments, Christopher.  I think there are many, many young people who really do see an ADL tool as something that produces "wealth" but maybe don't connect that to engineering.  Thanks for helping us to change that idea.