Full Paper: A Hands-on STEM Enrichment Activity to Promote Engineering to High School Students

Abstract Abstract This full paper discusses a workshop designed to enrich and explore career options for high school students. It has become a norm for higher education institutions to partner with local schools to provide a diverse range of opportunities for students to explore careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Facilitating conversations early on in high school about college majors, identifying specific areas of interest, setting career goals and roadmaps and building pathways for successful careers have become critical for student success. Due to a lack of understanding of engineering applications in high school, there is a disconnect between college and high school curricula. Some of the reasons for low enrollment or retention in engineering programs include a lack of curriculum alignment and differences in student expectations for learning concepts and applying them to real-world problems. Students find it challenging to connect mathematical models and scientific principles to real-world engineering problems. Activities such as summer camps and weekend/weeklong enrichment programs are being envisioned to enhance student learning outside the classroom. These activities provide a platform to help stimulate students' interest in STEM fields and get the students and their parents engaged for prospective college admission. At the regional campus of a very large research institution, activities like summer camps are being offered to attract local students to STEM fields. At this institution, the engineering faculty trains the first-year engineering students to develop hands-on activities to provide an inclusive learning opportunity for high school students. The admissions office organizes high school visits to the campus throughout the year for career exploration. During such visits, an engineering workshop was offered to 28 high school students. This initiative was intended to guide students toward engineering and engineering technology programs offered at this institution. The 120-minute workshop consisted of activities involving building a water irrigation system using a breadboard, Arduino microcontroller, DC power supply module, water pump with a motor, and capacitive soil moisture sensor. The activity also involved basic programming to set a threshold for soil moisture based on the sensor readings and activating the motor as needed. This activity helped introduce students to basic concepts in electronics, such as circuit theory and computer programming. High school students were put in groups of 2 or 3 to facilitate group discussions and brainstorming. The hands-on activity started with a simple circuit diagram with step-by-step connections. TinkerCad was used to demonstrate the circuit connection and measurements. Students were asked to write a simple C code to read the moisture values from the sensor. There was a short demonstration on programming for reading and writing values to and from sensors and motors. A post-survey was conducted to assess students' engagement and interest in the workshop through the admissions office. Based on the quantitative assessment of survey data, most participants declared the workshop was extremely interesting. It was not only students but teachers who were interested in adapting this activity into their curriculum. This collaborative workshop with the admissions office increased awareness among students and teachers about engineering applications and what the institutions have to offer.