Exposing K-12 students to science and engineering

Strategies employed to recruit and retain students in science and engineering fields include a variety of approaches, including hands-on activities, field trips, summer workshops, competitions, and software training programs. This paper describes a recruitment and outreach project, Impact of Space Exploration Programs, geared toward local area K-12 faculty and students. More than 350 individuals participated in program activities during the 2007 school year and about 300 individuals participated in 2008. This paper presents details about the project, especially the activities that were carried out last year.