Mechanical Engineering Majors Visit Middle Schools and After-School Programs
Image by Katharine Webster
12/16/2016
By Katharine Webster
Fifteen curious fifth-graders gathered around mechanical engineering major Courtney Britko in the library of Sullivan Middle School as she and two classmates talked about printed circuit boards and what it鈥檚 like to be an engineer.
When she asked, 鈥淐an you name something you use that has a circuit board in it?鈥� a couple of hands went up. After the first couple of tentative responses 鈥� 鈥渕y cell phone鈥� and 鈥渢he TV remote鈥� 鈥� the answers came quick-fire.
After explaining the lifecycle of printed circuit boards, from choosing the materials through manufacture and disposal or recycling, to five different groups, Britko and her classmates were a bit breathless, but beaming.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun,鈥� said Britko, a sophomore from Westford. 鈥淭hey were amazed that anyone could do this, and they were amazed that there are so few women in engineering.鈥�
鈥淭hey were more interested than I expected,鈥� added Ali Ramadan, a junior from Fitchburg. 鈥淥ne kid already knew all about circuit boards.鈥�
The visit was part of a service-learning project involving 167 undergraduates in nine sections of Materials Science for Engineers. The students worked in teams of three or four to create posters about the lifecycle of materials used in everyday objects and then visited one of four Lowell middle schools, the after-school program at or the .
Image by Katharine Webster
鈥淪he鈥檚 trying to get kids interested in science and engineering in middle school, before they have to pick their high school curriculum,鈥� Barrington said.
The learning goes both ways, said Assoc. Prof. Emmanuelle Reynaud, who taught the two Materials Science sections that visited Sullivan Middle School. Sections taught by visiting Prof. Arcan Dericioglu and Asst. Prof. Scott Stapleton also participated in the service-learning project.
鈥淥ne of the learning objectives for the class is for them to practice talking about technology with a non-technical audience,鈥� Reynaud said. 鈥淎nother is environmental awareness, so they have to look at whether the materials can be recycled or how to dispose of them.鈥�
The fifth-grade science classes and the STEM Club at Sullivan Middle School learned about materials used in skateboard decks, earbuds, cellphone screens and the soles of sneakers, among other things. The engineering majors also had to include something personal about themselves on their posters to open up conversations about college.
Ramadan urged the girls to study math and science so they could go into engineering, telling them more women are needed in the field.
鈥淥ne girl said, 鈥業鈥檓 not going to college. I don鈥檛 have any money,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淎t first, I was dumbfounded. Then I said, 鈥業 was the same way. But I went to community college and I worked really hard, I applied for scholarships, and I worked a job to help pay for it. If you want to do it, you can.鈥欌��
Image by Katharine Webster
鈥淭he students seemed extremely involved,鈥� he said afterward. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful thing when you ask a question and you see all their hands go up.鈥�
Chiodi, who is taking classes at Middlesex Community College and 51视频 this semester so he can transfer full time to the university, shared some of his struggles. He also spoke about his lifelong interest in engineering.
鈥淚 knew mechanical engineering was my passion 鈥� the whole idea of having someone approach me with a problem and figuring out a way to solve that problem to benefit the most people possible,鈥� he said.
The big payoff for Chiodi and his group came when the bell rang and the fifth-graders were heading out of the library.
鈥淭his little girl scurried up to the table and handed us a piece of paper that said 鈥楾hank you鈥� in crayon with this smiley face on it. That was really rewarding,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was so amazing to work with young minds and be able to spark that fire inside of them.鈥�
