Both Caltech students and Non-Caltech students will be considered
Project Title:
Develop an Engineering Project for High School Students
Project Description:
Have you wondered how YOU could design a SURF project of your own? Are you interested in enriching science teaching for high school students? Do you have ideas for a hands-on, fun project? Do you enjoy working with high school students? Do you want to make a contribution to pre-college education? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," read on!
Up to seven SURF students will create and develop engineering projects for high school science courses. SURFers will spend the first three weeks of SURF developing the project, studying curriculum and teaching methods, gathering materials, building and testing the object (model, device, equipment, structure, etc.) proposed and design background course materials to support the learning effort. During the next five weeks, SURF students will work with the YESS students (6 hours each week) to accomplish the project. Six or seven YESS students will work with each SURF student on the project. At the end of the five weeks, YESS students will give a short presentation/demonstration of their project. In the remaining two weeks of SURF, the SURF students will write up the project for use in high schools.
The result of the summer work will be study units that fit into standard high school education curricula and can be used extrensively by California high schools. Useful products of this SURF will be made available widely through the JPL Education Office, the JPL and NASA on-line educator services, and possibly pedagogical journals.
Previous SURF YESS projects may be reviewed in the SURF office.
Background Information:
The Caltech YESS program provides a forty high school students of high ability and talent with an introduction to an engineering and science career. YESS provides a unique and intense educational experience designed to expose students to the joys of intensive scientific investigation, emphasizing the analytical and experimental skills necessary for success. The program is especially intended to serve students from backgrounds currently underrepresented in the areas of science and engineering.
Literature references or articles that may provide more information on the project:
Interested applicants may read the California Framework.
For further information contact:
Paul Robinson
Principia College
Elsah, IL 26028
probinson@prin.edu
(618) 374-5292
or
Carolyn Merkel
Director, SURF program
(818) 395-2885
merkelc@starbase1.caltech.edu