“High Schools Improving Lives with Engineering Projects in Community Service-Learning” Serve Prepare Design Succeed Grow Pamela Dexter EPICS High School Program Coordinator Purdue University Explore

 Service – students participate in service for the underserved in a community  Academically-based – reinforces or connects with the subject material of the academic course  Reciprocity – Mutual needs, mutual learning  Reflection (Analysis, metacognition) – Students reflect (analyze) on their experience and learning

 EPICS programs at 20 universities  33 High schools in 6 states ◦ California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Texas New – EPICS High Programs in South Africa!

 80% of high school seniors entering college participated in community service or service-learning ◦ Female and minority students more inclined to continue service ◦ Many honors diplomas require service  Service-learning in high schools rarely connected with engineering/science/math  EPICS provides an opportunity to tap into this wave of volunteerism

 33 Schools Participating  1875 Student Participants  42% Female Participants  37% Underrepresented Participants  Over 253,000 people positively effected by EPICS High projects! Included in the mission of the EPICS High program is outreach to underrepresented populations. Reports from schools in October 2009 show the following impact:

 12 Rural Schools  8 Suburban Schools  13 Urban Schools  26 In-school Programs  5 After-schools Programs EPICS High is creating a variety of models to replicate throughout the nation. Of the 35 existing schools, current models are:

◦ Human Services  Examples: Habitat for Humanity, YMCA, Local Food Banks ◦ Access & Abilities  Examples: Special Needs Students in Schools, Local Organizations for Handicap or Disabled Residents ◦ Environmental  Examples: State Environmental Depts., Recycling groups ◦ Education & Outreach  Examples: Feeder Elem. Or Middle Schools, Local Children’s Museums

Guidance Department ESL Assistant Software  Computers give a welcome message Spanish speakers. The menu allows parents/students to select from options including: enrollment, withdrawal, and frequently asked questions. Forms completed by users then revert to English for counselors and school use.  Say YES America Lessons Creating PowerPoint lessons for each of the 44 phonemes collaborating with elementary school teachers. Designed to help children to understand sounds and learn to read.

Seniors participating in semester long program Some of the projects completed:  Recyclable materials storage unit  Custom stage stairs for animals  Mobil art cart  Custom sports equipment rack  Climbing tree structure  Raptor Cage for local wildlife rescue  Motorized Copy Holder for special needs student Raptor Cage Motorized Copy Holder

 Desktop Aquaponics This project will train students to build indoor desktop aquaponics systems by teaching students about basic design, instrumentation, and project execution. Students who become proficient will be sent to maintain systems that have been built by previous EPICS students in the school and in a local senior center.  Community Elevated Gardens This project will involve the school’s EPICS Engineering and Aquatic Biology students in hands-on service-learning projects to design and build Elevated Outdoor Aquaponics Systems, Irrigation Systems, and Hydroponics Systems in community gardens around Harlem. This project will help build community intergenerational collaboration In Addition: Presented the idea of developing a system for students to partner with elementary school teachers and create projects to help them teach science The Frederick Douglass Academy

Pacific Ridge School Campus Stewardship Project  Recycling auditing/setup/maintenance  Worm bin setup/maintenance (food composting)  Designed and constructed athletic equipment storage box, garden equipment storage shed, and field-side benches  Designed and planted PRS garden (using worm compost) Elementary School Outreach Project  Performed recycling/trash audit at local elementary school  Educating students on basics of recycling  Implementing school-wide recycling plan Project Green  Partner with regional restaurant chain for the purpose of helping them ‘go green’  Analyzing customer survey data

 Computerized Food Pantry Inventory Project Students are working with all food pantries in county to sep up a computerized inventory system for tracking food items and customer information

Project Ride  Pleasant Grove is working with an organization that uses horses and horseback riding as therapy for students with special needs by creating an interactive device that students can use while riding. Riders will pick up animal shaped pieces and ride across the arena to place them in a "puzzle" format which will then elicit the sound that the animal makes. Music Room Organization  Two guitar racks were made for the music teacher at Pleasant Grove HS. A guitar class was storing guitars in a room with no organizing devices/furniture and they can now organize and store the guitars more securely. World of Wonders Museum  The World of Wonders is a local museum that has interactive science displays. Pleasant Grove is designing and building prototypes of displays that may be able to built and given to the museum as working exhibits.

Historic 9 th Street Composting  Jefferson HS is working with the 9 th Street neighborhood association to have a central location for yard and food composting. Composters are being built and cages are being made to prevent animals from getting in the food compost. Recycled Paint Mural  A group of students is focusing on designing a simple mural using left-over acrylic paint to paint a mural in the school. It will promote an environmental message and beautify bland hallway. Civic Theatre A/V Equipment  This project is working with the Civic Theatre to write grants for new A/V equipment. The group will coordinate volunteer efforts of the electricians and then will create procedures for use of the equipment that will keep electricity usage minimal.

Blower Door/Energy Audits  Students in an engineering class are building blower doors that enhance the quality of the energy audits that students will perform for local organizations and their facilities. Energy Savings Float  Students are building a mobile float/display that will teach people easy ways to fixing common home inefficiencies. The display will then be presented at school and town events. Attic Door Cover  An after-school group at Leicester HS is building insulated attic door covers to help improve efficiency losses that commonly occur from attic doors. The covers will be made mostly of recycled material and will be implemented in a home.

Royal Oak Township Parks and Recreation  University HS has worked to create and donate 25 computers to two different community groups. The first group was the Parks and Recreation branch of Royal Oak Township, which is an impoverished community in the Ferndale area. The EPICS class donated 15 computers to this program. Head Start  University HS gave the remaining 10 computers to the local Head Start Program. The Head Start had very old computers for the students. Web Services  University High School used hardware and software purchased to provide web pages for organizations that otherwise could not afford the expertise or the equipment for such digital media solutions. All of these projects have been in partnership with Lawrence Technological University. They have offered students internships and have paid for the students wages.

 Teachers and/or a school administrators to attend an EPICS High training  Mentors for High Schools to add engineering and other expertise to compliment teachers  Limited funds to purchase project materials  Community Partners in need of projects to help them serve the public (ex: Habitat for Humanity, Local Middle and Elementary Schools, and a City Parks Department)  Students who enjoy hands-on projects and want to learn important professional skills

Assessment of the EPICS High program currently consists of: ◦ Site Visits ◦ Annual Progress Reports ◦ Student Surveys – Post-EPICS and Senior ◦ Survey by Community Partners ◦ More Detailed Research Component Coming Soon!  Evaluation of the summer teacher trainings by participants

778 of 1151 total students responded to surveys (67.6%) EPICS Effect on Student STEM Attitude and Interest: 70.0% Show increased interest in taking STEM classes in High School 76.2% Show increased interest in pursuing a STEM major 80.0% Show increased interest in pursuing a STEM career 65.1% Students state that EPICS influenced them to stay in school Most data collected at this point is quantitative – qualitative data collection is now underway to get a deeper understanding

EPICS High is changing students perceptions

EPICS has the potential to play a role in addressing many current issues including:  Declining interest in Engineering/Computing  Continued underrepresentation of women and minorities  Drop out rates  Improving STEM education  Global competitiveness  Building capacity in communities and schools  Compelling needs of underserved populations

EPICS High continues to bring together the resources for a large-scale national roll-out. Due to the success and overwhelming interest in the program, long-term plans have been accelerated Plans for growth include:  Securing funding to set up regional training centers  Established partnerships with professional societies such as; NSBE, SWE, SHPE, etc. with similar goals and missions  Engaging state Service-Learning representatives  Training of regional trainers  Establishing Teacher Fellows program

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