SPTC Project 14.1-01
STEM Teacher Professional Development and Student Outreach: Transportation Engineering Series
Abstract
The nation is battling a critical global competitiveness void and falling further behind other countries with the severe lack of students pursuing, persisting and matriculating through higher education with degrees in STEM disciplines. Exacerbating the problem concerning transportation is an aging transportation workforce—the workforce is retiring in far greater numbers than it is being replenished by new graduates. The Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC) mission to prepare transportation professionals for leadership roles in professional and research careers in support of the nation's transportation systems. SPTC Education Project 14.1-01 sought to address this problem from two sides: first, by reaching out to teachers of grades 6 through 12 through development workshops using transportation issues integrated into lesson planning in the STEM classes, and second, through engaging high school students to encourage interest in transportation careers.This project included three tasks:
1. Teacher Development Workshops
2. Student Outreach and Educations Tours and Activities
3. Teacher Follow-Up
Over the course of the project, two two-day teacher development workshops were held,and one five-day high school student outreach event called Explore Engineering was conducted. Through the teacher development workshops, an estimated total of 1650 students was reached, and 11 high school juniors and seniors from Texas participated in Explore Engineering.
Project PI: Cathy Allen
Researchers:
Project Duration: 2014-2018
Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation (TechMRT)
-
Address
Texas Tech University, Box 41023, Lubbock, TX 79409-1023 -
Phone
806.742.3523 -
Email
techmrt.outreach@ttu.edu