“High Schools Improving Lives with Engineering Projects in Community Service-Learning”

1. “High Schools Improving Lives with Engineering Projects in Community Service-Learning” Prepare Explore Serve Succeed http://epics-high.ecn.purdue.edu/ Pamela DexterEPICS High School Program CoordinatorPurdue University William OakesEPICS Program Director Assoc. Professor, Engineering EducationPurdue University

2. Project Management: 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

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

4. Project Management: 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

5. Project Management: Artifacts to Assess & 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

6. Project Management: 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

7. The EPICS Consortium • 20 University EPICS Programs • 50 High School Programs in 10 states California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Arizona 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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. Motorized Copy Holder Raptor Cage

11. 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

12. 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. Looking at Robotics project with Senior Center. 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

13. Project Example: Chantilly High School Academy, Virginia 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

14. Project Example: Prospect Hill Academy, Massachusetts 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

15. 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 • Working with Senior Center to diary stories from the residents there to share with the community and store at the local library.

16. 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 • Expanded greenhouse - Vegetables grown are transplanted to a local community garden

17. Project Example:Pleasant Grove HS Access & Abilities and Education & Outreach Projects • Working with an organization using horses in therapy for special needs children. 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

18. Project Example:Leicester High School, Massachusetts 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

19. 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.

20. Project Example: R.L. Turner High School, Carrollton Texas • Students designed and built an efficient, modular stage for a local church, with electrical wiring, and a platform for drums. http://prezi.com/-hkbmgfagq0i/stage • Helping local musicians find an audience by creating a file sharing service that will bring music by unlicensed artists to an audience for free. http://prezi.com/pbj6_hdrsiyc/capstone-presentation

21. Project Example: Will C. Wood Middle School, Alameda CA Environmental Focus • The Learning Waste Reduction Project challenges students to collaborate with other schools to reduce waste on their campus and spread the word to reduce and use less in the community. • Students designed a catapult for the local library made from recycled products to go with their recycling project theme

22. Jan Dudzik Whitney Young Magnet HSChicago, Illinois Project 1: The follow bot project Design and build a book carrier out of programmable robotics parts to follow a student with crutches from class to class. Project 2: The biodiesel project Design and build a system to create biodiesel fuel for a food pantry bus. Project 3: The electric bike project Design and build an electric bike for an elderly substitute teacher get back and forth to school

23. Project One The Follow Bot Designed infrared sensor on student leg picked up signal from the Follow bot. Progress The robot was programmed to follow the student . It moved forward, carried a bag of books, and stopped when student stopped. Problems The robot was hard to maneuver. It would follow student onto the elevator, but then would be in front of him and in the way for him to get out of the elevator. Not easily steered with crutches.

24. The FollowBot Project Students Cyril, Kobe, Bendan, Karol, Tony, Florian, Jenny,

25. Electric Bike Project Progress: Students were able to purchase a bike and assembled the bike. It was a pedal bike they were then going to convert to an electric bike Problem: Electric Conversion Kit Ordered but didn’t arrive in time to complete conversion. Order cancelled and rescheduled for late summer or early fall.

26. The Electric Bike Team

27. Biodiesel Project Progress: The system originally built in 2010 worked and fully functional. Problem: Previous engineers left, and took the equipment with them. Space: the lab was taken over by another instructor and a new location had to be researched. Expertise: The engineers working on the original design, were unable to help rebuild the system. Last week a new volunteer committed to the project Still need permanent space and equipment.

28. Biodiesel system Working system

29. Post project pizza reflection Plans for improvement

30. EPICS at Foxcroft EPICS at Foxcroft School • Foxcroft is a private, girls boarding school with about 160 students from 7 countries • Taught as a semester science elective • Students may take two semesters • 36 students in the 2011-2012 school year • Projects completed with groups of 4 or 5 students • Students are those not taking AP Science courses and are not our strongest math/science students

31. Projects at Foxcroft Interactive museum display for historic grain mill demonstrating motion of grain throughout the mill Handicap-accessible planting beds for facility that provides employment for mentally and physically handicapped adults

32. Projects at Foxcroft 3-D model and game to help 2nd grade students learn SOL content about Ancient China Investigated addition of solar power to Foxcroft School. Installed four test panels. Using panel data as resource for teaching both science and math courses

33. Projects at Foxcroft Other Projects Underway… • 3D latex model of continental US to teach 2nd graders relevant SOL content • Geothermal display and model of new dormitory Designed and built an outdoor podium display for a local elementary school to allow them to display academic work on their walking trail near their pond.

34. EPICS at Foxcroft Some Lessons Learned… Relevant to our program, but not to all • Maximum of 6 to a team with some conscious team assignments to break up certain groups • Students have very little relevant background and need lots of supervision • Still struggling with assessment • Finding a continual supply of project partners is worrisome

35. Xavier College Prep, Phoenix Rio Salado Habitat Projects • “Leave No Trace” bilingual coloring book that was used to teach local school children about safe use of the Habitat • Rio Salado Habitat Kiosk • Butterfly Garden Construction