“High Schools Improving Lives with Engineering Projects in Community Service-Learning” Serve Prepare Succeed Pamela Dexter EPICS High School Program Coordinator Purdue University Explore William Oakes EPICS Program Director Assoc. Professor, Engineering Education Purdue University

EPICS is Design-based, Service-learning EPICS projects follow a design process consisting of steps that include identifying needs, analyzing solutions, and redesigning. Design is learned through experience Experience making mistakes, good guesses and mistakes Experience seeing implications of decisions Experience in serving a real customer or user Teachers act in a role of facilitators or coaches Most of time spent guiding design work and exploration Allow students to experience their decisions and work in design Guide students in filling roles on the team and leading the projects

Flexible Program Models EPICS High is flexible in helping schools implement. A variety of successful existing models in rural, suburban and urban areas are in place for replication. Current models include: In-school Programs… EPICS as a class or part of an existing class After-schools Programs… also include clubs A mix of in-school and after-school… allows more students to be involved Model schools have teachers from varying subject areas involved in their EPICS programs. EPICS is working to build clusters of schools that may find ways to bring their area students together and offer support to one another.

Working with a Community Partner What are the needs in the community that are consistent with your project focus area? What are the capabilities of the students? What is the duration of the partnership? (quarter, semester, trimester, multiple semesters) Once a community partner is established, set expectations at the beginning of the partnership: Set one point of contact Follow up regularly Get feedback on their experiences

Project Planning Among the many questions that can be addressed in planning are: 1.What do you and/or your team does first? 2.How many people do you need to accomplish your project? 3.What resources do you need to accomplish your project? 4.How long will it take?

Creating a Project Charter First Phase of the Design Process The elements of a charter include: ◦ Description Objectives ◦ Outcomes or deliverables ◦ Duration ◦ Team membership and roles Revisit and track if you are on schedule with checkpoints/milestones/gates

Accountability Short tasks allow team members to be accountable Charting/organizing tasks ◦ Keeps projects moving and shifting resources as needed Deadlines- what is due this week? ◦ Prevent delays that span several weeks

Artifacts: Assess and Manage Some of the artifacts that students can be graded or assessed on during their EPICS experience include: Design Notebooks Reflections Self-assessments Presentations Reports  Project documentation Delivered projects  Manuals or other documentations with project

Funds for Project Expenses Most projects are done for not-for-profits at no cost to the partners. Some projects require funding for materials, but not all. Funding ideas: Look for local hardware stores, etc that might donate materials Sponsorships of teams for supplies from local companies or organizations Larger expenses from outside funding  Students help write grants

EPICS Projects Education: K-12 schools, museums, after- school programs Access and abilities: clinics for children with disabilities, programs for adults with disabilities, assistive technology Human services: Habitat for Humanity, humane societies, food pantries, neighborhood revitalization, local government Environment: environmental organizations, neighborhood associations, parks & recreation

Project Example: McCutcheon High School, Indiana Design Projects with an Educational Outreach and Access and Abilities Focus Designed software that gives welcome message & common task menu for Hispanic speakers registering for classes, and then reverts the information to English for counselors/school use Adapted a walker for a special needs student Designed interactive & computerized phonics lessons for the school corporation utilized to teach young learners and ESL students.

Project Example: High Tech High, California Projects for Educational Outreach and Social Service Organizations Designed and built a mobile art cart so the students could easily work outside Designed and built a custom sports equipment rack for storage of school’s P.E. equipment Raptor Cage for local wild bird rescue organization Worked with the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center to design and build new interactive science exhibits and modify existing ones. Raptor Cage Motorized Copy Holder

Project Example: Agawam HS, Massachusetts Design Projects with an Environmental and Educational Outreach Focus Saltwater tank designed and built with live rock and coral 400 Atlantic Salmon were cultivated in engineered tank and released into local waterway Rose Garden planted with local middle school while mentoring them on photosynthesis Cherry Tree and garden planted with a local school including engineered irrigation system

Project Example: Fredrick Douglass Academy, New York Bioengineering: Designed and built green spaces within a Harlem Senior Center to improve air quality and for beautification efforts Environmental Engineering: Designed and monitor water quality sampling station for the East River and report findings to the city and local organizations working to improve the water quality Education and Outreach: Partnering with elementary school teachers to create projects and design equipment that help them teach science

Partnered with the Adapted Physical Education Program for Special Needs Students Within their School Designing and building projects enabling students with special needs to safely and participate in team and individual sports with little assistance Student teams designed, prototyped and produced ball tossing catapult toys to be used in recreational play by special needs students Project Example: Chantilly High School Academy, Virginia

Projects with an Environmental Focus Students conducted an energy analysis of their school, and used those results to educate students and staff on how to be more energy conscious with educational signs and a movie Designed and built a portable green roof cart to use for presentations to high school, elementary and middle school students on green roof technologies Project Example: Prospect Hill Academy, Massachusetts

Project Example: Pacific Ridge School, California Educational Outreach and Environmental Projects Designed and constructed athletic equipment storage box, garden equipment storage shed, and field-side benches for new campus Designed and implemented a campus recycling program then educated feeder schools on their program and helped them to implement a similar program at their schools Students were designing prototypes to determine how to utilize solar power on their school campus

Project Example: Laker High School, Michigan Greenhouse Project EPICS students designed and built a greenhouse that included an irrigation system and heated floor system Greenhouse is used for elementary/middle school, and community tours Vegetables grown are transplanted to a local community garden

Access & Abilities and Education & Outreach Projects Working with an organization using horses in therapy for special needs children, students created an interactive device that can be used while riding where riders pick up animal shaped pieces and ride across the arena to place them in a "puzzle" format that then makes the animal noise Guitar racks were designed and built for the music teacher to organize and store the guitars more securely Currently designing and building prototypes of interactive displays for a local world of wonders museum Project Example: Pleasant Grove HS

Elective within the school and after school Project: Portable exhibit for local science museum Focused on building green exhibits Project: Green Technologies Using thermal imaging to conduct energy audits of low income houses Constructing insulation out of recycled materials Incorporating green technologies for the middle school Project Example: Leicester High School, Massachusetts

Project Example: Yerba Buena, California Environmental and Social & Human Services Focus Students visited with client and researched needs and safety requirements for a backyard playhouse at the local JW House (much like a Ronald McDonald house near a local hospital). Students then created model designs to present, voted on a final design and constructed the playhouse. Students are working with local experts to design solar lighting for their schools outdoor athletic facilities.

EPICS High Contact Information EPICS High Headquartered at Purdue University Ph. (765) Website: Program Coordinator: Pamela Dexter