UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs (SEDTAPP) will host 7th-12th grade students from the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) in a workshop titled “EngInn: Engineering Innovators of the Future” on Nov. 14 at the University Park campus.
The workshop is part of CTY’s Science and Technology Series, one-day experiences that CTY organizes to connect students with scientists at leading institutions around the country and to encourage their interests in STEM majors and careers. The workshop will introduce students to engineering, show them why innovation is important and engage them through hands-on demonstrations and keynote presentations in a variety of engineering disciplines.
“It’s important to show the next generation of students how exciting engineering is as a field and what it is that we engineers do: we design, we innovate, we transform the world,” said Sven G. Bilén, head of SEDTAPP. “Our hope is that this outreach opportunity will excite many of the participants to consider pursuing degrees in engineering.”
As an outreach element of her 2014 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Scarlett Miller, assistant professor of engineering design and industrial engineering at Penn State, will lead participants through the daylong program, which also includes tours of the various engineering design facilities and interactions with current engineering design faculty and students.
“This is an outstanding opportunity to expose impressionable high school students to what it truly means to be an engineer and excite them about the opportunities available for them to transform the future through design,” said Miller. “The hands-on training involved in this workshop was developed to stimulate student interest in design by exploring how innovation fits into a variety of engineering contexts.”
The Johns Hopkins CTY is a research-based nonprofit that serves as a passionate global advocate for bright young students and their families. CTY both identifies and develops the talents of academically advanced students around the world through accelerated and enriching summer and online courses, academic counseling, and family learning adventures.
The EngInn workshop is sold out with 23 students and 26 parents coming to Happy Valley for a day full of discovery, innovation and fun.