Introduction to engineering concepts for high school teachers and students

An effort is being made to introduce engineering and technology to Arkansas high school students. This objective would be accomplished with the assistance of high school teachers. Initial plans include high school teacher training, summer of 1995; high school competition, fall/spring of 1995-1996; and high school student workshop, summer of 1996. The authors describe the organization of this pilot program, and discuss the nature of engineering topics and activities presented in the workshop. The vehicle for introducing engineering will be Stiquito, a small hexapod robot. This inexpensive ($3 each) device employs several concepts from electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering. Applications of the robot would encompass computer and industrial enginering concepts as well. The teacher training workshop will take place in two one-week sessions. High school teachers will attend a workshop at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and learn about enginering, the Stiquito robot, and the student design competition. The student competition will be conducted at the high schools by the teachers. Teams of two students will build the robot and devise an innovaitve application for the robot. The winning team from each school of the competition will be invited to attend a summer workshop at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. During the workshop, the students will learn about engineering and the role of engineers in society, and participate in engineering activities