I would love to record a video for this series! We have our #AskanEngineer initiative for the next two weeks, but I can get to recording this after that first video goes live. We can chat about this more offline.
I definitely agree that COVID-19 is going to affect K-12 Outreach for the next school year (contingent that schools even are opened again in 2020). I love this virtual visit idea! I think that the general layout sounds good too. For the timing part, even for in-person visits, we use an online timer like
https://www.timeanddate.com/timer/ so that kids can always know how much time they have left which the engineer can accomplish by a screen share. I will definitely miss the in-person and being able to walk by a group and listen in on their team conversations so that iPad idea could be awesome, but either way, we will learn to adapt!
From our #AskanEngineer video calls and the YouTube video we are compiling, the silver lining of people not having to travel to the event has led to an uptick in volunteers. For our call later today, we have 6 civil engineers ranging from careers in stormwater, to transportation, to geotechnical to structural which will be amazing for the kids in attendance to hear about the diverse backgrounds all under the umbrella under Civil Engineering.
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Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE
Associate Engineer
Pennoni Associates
Philadelphia PA
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-06-2020 10:00 AM
From: Jeannine Finton
Subject: What is your favorite STEM outreach hands-on activity?
Hi Dani--Do you think that you could do a short video of yourself, or someone from Philly, doing that activity so we could share it in the Everyday Engineering list? It has to be 2-minutes or less. Let me know and we can discuss what's needed.
I definitely think that schools are going to be hypervigilant next year, and in-classroom activities limited. However, schools are reaching out to ASCE and are very interested in virtual visits.
I'm daydreaming right now, but maybe we work it out so that ASCE members drop off an activity kit a few days before the virtual visit. Let's say it's Slender Tower Challenge. This would mean dropping off some paper, maybe tape and rulers as well. On the day of the visit, we log in with the class, do an introduction to the activity, and then let the students go to work. The engineer(s) remains online in case anyone has questions. After so many minutes (arranged with the teacher in advance) the class comes back together for the wrap-up. Who knows--if the teacher has something like an iPad they might be able to wander the room and show what the students are doing just as though the engineer was in the class.
I think this might work! What do you think?
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Jeannine Finton Aff.M.ASCE
Senior Manager of Pre-College Outreach
ASCE
Reston VA
<maskemail>jfinton@...</maskemail>
Original Message:
Sent: 05-05-2020 12:04 PM
From: Danielle Schroeder
Subject: What is your favorite STEM outreach hands-on activity?
As we can't schedule in-person outreach activities right now, my fellow K-12 Outreach co-chair and I are assessing new hands-on activities to be used at future school visits. What is your favorite STEM outreach hands-on activity?
Our favorite that we used frequently this past year is the "Slender Tower Challenge" which involves building the tallest tower they can with the smallest footprint possible, using only the materials provided. The materials for this activity are pretty cheap (recyclable paper, scissors, and tape) and it can be modified fairly easily depending on the age range of your audience. More information on the activity can be found here: https://www.discovere.org/our-activities/single-activity-detail/Slender%20Tower%20Challenge
Excited to read about your favorite STEM outreach activities!
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Danielle Schroeder EIT, A.M.ASCE
Associate Engineer
Pennoni Associates
Philadelphia PA
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