ERC education programs have evolved displaying many common features that have been shown over time to work in the ERC culture. At the same time, there is great diversity of program elements, reflecting the centers' differing missions and their organizational relationships with specific universities, industries, and professional fields. These differences occur both in the details and in the attributes designed to address the individuality of each ERC in its particular university, field, and industrial base. This section describes both the shared and distinctive features of those programs. Attachment 4-2 lists the education programs at all levels for each of the centers, with links to their websites for more detailed descriptions.

The ERC Program has several innovative educational features that make it uniquely beneficial for students. Educational programs are essential to each center's mission. The ERC Program was designed to address the issues of turning research discoveries into high-quality, competitive products to satisfy an increasing global demand while preparing engineering graduates with the diversity and quality of education needed by industry. ERC education programs offer the following general benefits for students and their eventual employers:

• Cross-Disciplinary Systems View. ERCs view the cross-disciplinary nature of their education programs as an attraction for students. All ERCs have cross-disciplinary missions, and most have students and advisors from many departments. For example, to capitalize on the revolutions in molecular cell biology, genomics, and proteomics, faculty of the Biotechnology Process Engineering Center at MIT developed a new engineering discipline with a molecular-to-systems view of biological processes, which in 1998 became the nucleus of a new formal academic unit at the interface of biology and engineering. Other centers have been equally creative, developing courses combining engineering and sciences, for example, or engineering and business courses. The Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems (WIMS) at the University of Michigan developed Engineering Enterprise, which provides an alternative path through the engineering undergraduate curriculum by substituting management modules focused on microsystems for mainly elective courses.
  
  
• Teamwork. Teamwork experience is vital to engineering students. ERCs' industrial partners are generally impressed with the maturity and team preparedness of the graduates, who have had more industrial interaction than the average engineering graduate. Several centers, such as Georgia Tech's Packaging Research Center (PRC), have at least one full-time staff engineer for each thrust area, who works with teams of graduate and undergraduate students.
  
  
• Involvement of Industry in Education. Several ERCs encourage students to have industry advisors on their thesis committees. This supplement to traditional academic mentoring gives graduate students a valuable perspective on industry's concerns and gives them a head start on careers in industry. In addition, most ERCs require or suggest an industrial internship for each student, to acquaint him or her with real industrial problems. During internships, a student spends on average 10 to 12 weeks working under the supervision of an industry researcher or engineer at a company site (generally one of the center's industrial partners). Such an opportunity provides the student with a chance not only to become familiar with industrial work, but also to receive an offer of permanent employment after graduation. Other centers meet this need in their own ways. For example, the Mid-America Earthquake Center provides one- to five-day site visits for graduate students to work with government agencies, contractors, or industry personnel on their existing research projects. The Georgia Tech/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues (GTEC)'s Industrial Educational Partners Program provides internships, panel discussions and meetings between industry and faculty/students. Students at Clemson University's Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films (CAEFF) have the opportunity to gain industrial perspectives by taking part in the Master of Science Industrial Residency Program, during which graduate students conduct industry-defined research on site.
  
  
• Communications Training and Opportunities. Student researchers make many of the presentations at center reviews, and many have more opportunities to travel to conferences to present papers or posters than the average graduate student. The University of Michigan ERC for Reconfigurable Machining Systems (RMS) provides "Student Presentation Skills" (a series of half-day workshops). Students receive training in professional writing and are encouraged to publish. Many centers also have libraries of publications and videos, readily available to center participants.
  
  
• Mentoring Opportunities. Many ERCs provide opportunities in which graduate students work on teams with younger students or are chosen to act as mentors on special projects. GTEC offers seminars on various aspects of a mentoring experience. The ERC for Reconfigurable Machining Systems offers "Team Effectiveness Skills" workshops.. UWEB provides mentoring training for REU faculty and graduate student mentors, as well as for the undergraduate mentees.2
  
  
• Exposure to the Latest Developments. Students are able to stay on the cutting edge through increased travel opportunities to conferences, visiting scientists programs, seminars, and annual student conferences. For example, the University of Florida's PS&T Visiting Eminent Scholars Program exposes center participants to world-renowned experts brought to the center for extended visits. This gives them a chance to interact with their global peers. PEER's student-run seminars invite industrial representatives from the Business and Industry Partner Program to campus to discuss their current projects and technology needs with students and faculty.
  

4.3.1 Graduate Programs

Research is the main direct educational mechanism by which graduate students interact with the ERCs. It has been said that the distinction between research and education is not really valid at an ERC; the two activities overlap and interact at many points. Graduate students work under the supervision of one or more faculty members associated with the center in an area related to one of the center's research thrusts. Most of the centers ensure that the research projects are cross-disciplinary in nature and conducted with a spirit of teamwork. The goal is to have ERC graduates be adept at this systems-level, cross-disciplinary team approach to problem-solving. They should understand and share industrial perspectives and be well prepared to contribute immediately and productively to jobs in industry.

4.3.1.1 Recruitment

Because the centers must be ever mindful of the relationship between them and the associated departments and colleges, recruitment must follow the application procedures of the student's potential department/college first. However, once the student has been accepted in an academic program, probably the two most influential means of attracting students to the centers are word of mouth and the center's internet presence. Faculty and staff should involve themselves in department/college programs (such as the admissions committees) to be aware of newly available students. Center personnel should keep a network of contacts in department or college recruiting offices (particularly special offices for women or minorities) who have regular interaction with students. Invite those contacts to presentations about the center. If these individuals are familiar with the center's program, they are more likely to steer promising students that way. Students and faculty traveling to conferences should be provided with brochures or fliers to spread information about the center. The center's website (particularly student opportunities) should be updated regularly and often. Finding an application on the website with a due date that is two years past is most discouraging.

Another venue for recruiting is on-campus chapters of national organizations-and the annual national meetings of these organizations. Again, make information available at such meetings. Advertising of special financial incentives may also be used.

4.3.1.2 Student Financial Support

Most graduate students are supported financially by the center. Others are supported from other funding generated, often, by the ERC or faculty involved. ERCs are creative in covering the costs of graduate education through industry contracts, NSF grants, foundation or corporate scholarships, other federal and state agency sources of support, and industrial partner support for graduate students.

NSF's Graduate Engineering Education (GEE) Program has become a source of funding for fellowships targeted at minorities and women. Fellows may be paid as graduate research assistants (GRAs) or may take courses for credit, often being paid a stipend under a graduate fellowship. Full-time summer research positions, supported through grants-in-aid or other means, provide an intensive research and educational experience for graduate students under this program.

In some cases summer fellowship programs are developed by the ERCs themselves to provide special educational opportunities for their graduate students at other institutions or locations. A good example of such a program is the Mid-America Earthquake Center's (MAEC) Student Field Mission Fellowship. Students who are awarded this fellowship travel to London to join the earthquake engineering class of Imperial College on a field trip to earthquake sites in one part of the globe.

ERCs also encourage graduate students to apply for professional society or industry scholarships, or in some cases prepare proposals and perform contract research for funding to pay for conferences and research. Successful proposals allow graduate students to travel to conferences and companies.

As another funding source, some ERCs, such as MIT's Biotechnology Process Engineering Center, encourage their graduate students to actively participate as teaching assistants in the courses that are related to the center's research thrust. This training provides experience in teaching and at the same time is very helpful to students who are planning a career in academia.

4.3.1.3 Graduate Outreach Programs

One of the goals of ERCs is to provide global leadership not only in the center's research areas, but in education programs as well. To fulfill this goal, most ERCs developed education programs involving other universities, professional organizations, or industry. The focus of such activities is on educating and training faculty and students in other institutions and establishing long-lived collaborations. For example, the Particle Science Summer School in Winter at the University of Florida's Center for Particle Science and Technology sponsors a week-long event that brings together a large group of graduate students involved in particle science research projects from several U.S. universities along with experts from academia and industry. The experts develop and present two-day intensive course modules in leading research areas; students attend at least two of them. Student participants also attend seminars on six additional specialized topics and a panel session provided by the industry experts. More information about this program can be found at http://www.erc.ufl.edu/Education/GraduatePrograms.htm.

Many ERCs provide opportunities for faculty and doctoral students from other countries to conduct research and gain experience, generally by hosting the visitors for one- to three-month visits. Such programs offer valuable chances for collaboration and enhance the visitors' research. Some of these ERCs have established international internship programs, augmenting financing of students from international institutes. Others have established exchange programs with foreign institutions. As a result of such partnerships, faculty from the participating institutions direct research and teach courses at each other's university. Such programs also permit ERC students to take courses in the international institution and their students to study at the ERC.

4.3.1.4 Multi-Site Centers

All multi-university ERCs and EERCs are required to develop programs to ensure that their students benefit from courses and labs available at the different sites. To integrate graduate students at multi-institutional centers into research and education activities, some centers have developed special activities, such as these:

• Graduate Student Exchange Program. Virginia Tech's Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) students majoring in electrical engineering may attend classes at all five CPES universities, with credits for classes accepted by each student's home institution. The goal of this program is to provide students with a broader background and allow them to take courses not offered at their home institutions. It is designed to maximize interaction among graduate students, provide opportunities for students to experience different learning environments, and expose masters-level students from one of the campuses to the possibilities of pursuing PhDs at other campus.
• Annual Research Assistants Symposium. This annual activity brings together the MAEC's graduate students and provides an opportunity to meet and discuss current research and cross-disciplinary activities. Student researchers and faculty members from all MAEC institutions get an opportunity to interact from both a cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary perspective. Participating graduate research students present posters, participate in training exercises, and give presentations on their research.
• Networking Multi-Institutional Centers. Researchers at the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering (MCEER) at the University of Buffalo are leading the initiative to create an electronic network linking its diverse experimental facilities. The object is to overcome geographic limitations and leverage the existing capabilities to share experimental and advanced computational resources and data. The establishment of the network requires developing new procedures and methods, adapting and integrating existing technologies, and developing new methods of communication, storage, and interpretation.

Multi-institutional centers have found that it is necessary to devise collaborative agreements to set forth the policies and procedures governing cross-university programs and student exchanges. Attachment 4-3 gives, as an example, a student exchange agreement from CPES.

4.3.2 Undergraduate Programs

Integrating undergraduate students in the educational activities of ERCs is mandatory, and perhaps the single most innovative aspect of the ERC education program. While the research focus and educational vision of ERCs may differ, active involvement of the undergraduates has a major impact, not only on their education, but also on those around them. A special feature of the ERC Program is the emphasis on undergraduate participation in research. Each of the ERCs has one or more programs through which undergraduates from the center's home institution(s) engage in research projects. Many also involve undergraduates from other institutions in ERC research activities through the ERC Program's competitive Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program (see section 4.3.2.2.)

4.3.2.1 An Emphasis on Undergraduate Research

Most ERCs have at least 15 to 20 undergraduate participants involved in research programs during the academic year. Across all of the ERCs, the ratio of graduate to undergraduate students is 2:1. Some have exceeded that goal. For example, since 1999, the ERC for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems has maintained or exceeded an undergraduate-to-graduate student ratio of 1:1 (in fall 2002, the numbers are 51 undergraduates to 46 graduates). These undergraduate programs share several features. Students come from any of the departments that relate to the center's work and are selected from among the best students. Generally, each student works with a designated faculty member and, under his/her supervision, conducts research with one or more graduate student mentors, receiving academic credit and/or a stipend for the work. In some centers, students may use their ERC-sponsored research as a basis for a senior honors thesis or independent study course.

Undergraduates may be recruited through presentations at student organizations such as the student chapters of professional societies like the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and through organizations like the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). They may also be recruited through announcements in the student newspaper, the ERC's website, printed flyers, and directly from classes and colleague's recommendations. Also, deans and departmental and other university offices may be helpful.

There are a variety of ERC home institution undergraduate programs. Many of the features are similar to the REU programs and are described in detail on the homepages of the centers. Some examples are:

• The Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC) at the University of Southern California has a competitive program for undergraduate research projects. The undergraduates submit proposals, and the chosen projects are awarded $4,000 per project (individual or team)
• The University of Washington's Engineered Biomaterials ERC (UWEB) publishes the Journal of Undergraduate Research in Bio-Engineering (JURIBE) twice a year, now in partnership with GTEC, to showcase the research results of undergraduates in engineering and applied sciences. UWEB also has an Undergraduate Scholars in Research Program (USIRP), which lasts for four quarters, during which participants take the "Engineer's Tool Chest" courses, which has components such as ethics and communications; participate in a poster session; may become part of an industry research team; and may have a research paper published in JURIBE.
• The Georgia Tech/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues (GTEC) has an Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) Program, which recruits from metro Atlanta colleges and universities. It involves a full year's commitment to research designed by a graduate mentor along with communications training, ethics issues, research seminars, and industrial field trips.
  
• The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER), at the University of California at Berkeley, has an undergraduate scholars course that involves selected students in a four-week-long course of performance-based earthquake engineering and exposes students to opportunities at the PEER core institutions.
  
• Northeastern's Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSSIS) has a High-Tech Tools and Toys Laboratory, to introduce undergraduates to the techniques of interfacing computers with state-of-the-art subsurface sensing and imaging systems and subsystems.
  
• Vanderbilt's ERC for Bioengineering Educational Technologies' (VaNTH) undergraduates may serve as both research assistants and as testers and advisors on the effectiveness of new learning materials developed at the center.

A general source for information on the education programs of the centers is the ERC-Association's website, where education programs of all the centers are available through http://www.erc-assoc.org/educate/edopps.htm, and where achievements in education are described at http://www.erc-assoc.org/topics/6-c.htm.

4.3.2.2 Research Experiences for Undergraduates

The NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates program was started in 1988 as a vehicle to engage undergraduates in research. For the summer of 2002, almost 50 such programs, besides those at ERCs, are scheduled, and more applications are being processed. These programs are listed and briefly described on the website http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/reu/reulist.htm.

Customizing the REU Program to Meet the Needs of ERCs. The ERC Program has developed its own, modified version of the REU program to encourage students from other institutions to participate in ERC research during the summer-with an emphasis on women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. Each site accommodates 10 or so undergraduates and is organized around a general theme. Most of the ERCs have this modified REU program, for which they receive supplementary funding. Specific information is available on the website of each center.

The traditional REU programs attracted students who were generally between their junior and senior years, and mostly from universities that might be viewed as likely sources of graduate students for the departments involved in the program. However, under supplemental ERC REU funding there is also a strong emphasis on recruiting REU students from a diverse population, including women, members of underrepresented minorities, those with disabilities, transfer or dual-degree students, and students from post-secondary technical schools. These students may not be from the engineering disciplines most prominently represented in the center, and may not even be engineering students. Undergraduates majoring in physics, chemistry, social science, and business may be valuable and productive REU participants. Because of the burgeoning REU programs, the competition for the easily identifiable top students from the traditional sources is intense. Broadening the applicant pool can help to achieve diversity while retaining high standards, attracting a new pool of students to engineering.

Recently, there has been an interest in including an international experience in REU programs. Doing so obviously presents more complicated logistical issues but provides an exciting attraction to bright undergraduates. Since there are so many REU programs, the students are often beginning sophomores or juniors and may be interested in multiple REU experiences. Such students might be the best candidates for international programs.

Florida's Center for PS&T participated in the first NSF-French REU program in 1997. The program has since expanded to include Holland and Australia. In 2001, in a "reverse REU," four ERC students were sent to conduct research at the Ian Wark Institute, University of South Australia, and the Technische Universiteit Delft, the Netherlands.

REU students enjoy a hands-on research experience that is complementary to the experience of the institution's own undergraduate research programs. A benefit of an undergraduate research program is that graduate students often act as mentors and advisors to the undergraduates, helping to supervise their research on a day-to-day basis. This role provides the graduate students with an opportunity to develop and enhance both teaching and managerial skills while providing the undergraduates with one-on-one interaction with a role model who is close to them in age and experience.

A number of ERCs combine REU programs with other programs or funding sources. The availability of supplementary funding allows field trips and extended travel to be included in the experience. Also, the considerable expense involved in long-distance relocation has been a barrier to some gifted students, and supplementary funding can be helpful. Again the best sources of specific information are the center websites. Providing an interesting research, cultural, and social program for the group requires planning and supervision, but the wide availability of campus facilities in the summer facilitates this process.

Because their REU students were located at multiple institutions, the multi-site Earthquake ERCs-the Mid-America Earthquake Center (MAEC), the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Center (PEER), and the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER)-initially encountered some challenges in implementing REU programs but have learned to cooperate very successfully in this area. The ready availability of videoconferencing has been very helpful in this regard along with a multi-center REU symposium at the end of the summer. Some of the REU activities of these centers have led to closer collaboration between graduate students and faculties.

The Marine Bioproducts Engineering Center (MarBEC) adapted the REU program to actively involve students placed at far-flung sites (Hawaii, California, and an industrial partner's sites). The initial orientation was held at UC Berkeley, and then students reconvened periodically via the internet and videoconferences.

REU Program Features. Students gain many benefits from their REU experiences that are not normally available to students who are not involved in ERC education programs. REU students:

• conduct individual or team research on ERC-related projects
  
• develop teamwork skills through interaction with undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty
  
• are encouraged to continue their education in graduate engineering programs
  
• develop communication skills through written reports and oral presentations
  
• participate in ethics and professionalism activities
  
• interact with students from other universities
  
• publish articles on research or give research presentations at national conferences
  
• participate in industrial interactions
  
• interact with a truly diverse group of students.

REU Program Structure. REU students may work as individuals or in teams, which may include the ERC's own summer undergraduate interns and even graduate students. The projects should include at least some elements of their own design and should be supervised by ERC faculty and graduate students. In many cases this environment provides first-hand knowledge of how industrial research teams operate. The total number of undergraduates involved in these summer projects from all sources at a given ERC can vary from as few as 4 or 5 to as many as 40 or 50. Some multi-site ERCs may have only a single REU program, so that the teaming with local students is vital. The mix of backgrounds, cultures, and approaches brought by students from different educational backgrounds is an important part of the REU experience. In addition to research projects, a well-rounded program of REU activities can include:

• field trips to industrial sites
  
• workshops on technical writing and public speaking
  
• seminars in topics such as programming and engineering ethics
  
• meetings with high school students visiting the campus
  
• mentoring by graduate students and industrial residents
  
• assistance with graduate school admissions applications and scholarship materials
  
• exposure to an array of center publications.

Issues that require special planning include housing (prearranged and on campus in the same area), meal cards or subsidy for meals (to minimize the need for cash), on-campus transportation if needed, and access to institutional facilities. Careful scheduling of out-of-laboratory activities is necessary to minimize research disruptions.

REU Recruitment. Recruitment of REU participants can be challenging, since the main focus is on underrepresented populations, and the number of programs aimed at these populations has expanded. The ERC REU program has provided a critical outreach component to ERCs, giving them the opportunity to extend their work to many other institutions. Recruitment techniques that have proven successful include:

• personal visits to other institutions
  
• development of long-term relationships with historically black institutions and other targeted institutions
  
• recruitment efforts by previous REU participants on their home campus
  
• recruitment through national organizations such as NSBE or SWE
  
• participation in career fairs
  
• internet and worldwide web postings
  
• exchange of potential participants between ERC education coordinators/ directors.

As centers mature, they interact with other ERCs to help them recruit REU fellows for appropriate research areas. This exchange of applicants has been done on an individual basis, from education coordinators/directors to center directors, and (in the past) via an e-mailed ERC Education Digest.

REU Follow-up/Tracking. Follow-up with former participants extends the influence and value of the REU program and contributes to the participant's involvement in engineering and the continuation of their education toward advanced degrees. Former participants can be provided with guidance and assistance with applications for graduate school and for financial aid. Arrangements can be made with center industrial partners to assist participants with potential employment opportunities. Maintaining contact with former REU participants requires considerable effort, but it increases the likelihood that they will continue on to graduate engineering education. Learning of their accomplishments is also rewarding.

4.3.2.3 Involving Students in the Life of the ERC

Most ERCs have student councils (often known as "student leadership councils"). These organizations give students a collective voice while also serving as a pipeline for useful input and information from the students to the center administration, and NSF. Student councils foster development of leadership skills. For example, the Georgia Tech/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues' Student Council Educational Outreach Committee placed second in the Governor's Georgia Technology Public Service Leadership Award. This was valuable recognition for the student council group from state educators and science professionals for their outreach to middle and high school students and teachers in an effort to educate the public about biotechnology and tissue engineering.

The student groups serve a social function as well. Along with other less formal activities such as weekly breakfasts, pizza parties, or birthday celebrations, they help to promote a sense of center identity by providing opportunities for interaction with each other and with faculty members. Remember that food is one of the greatest incentives to increase attendance at events and activities. However, be aware that the funding source for food and beverages, in most instances, cannot be from research contracts or grants. Discretionary funds must be used for most entertainment expenses.

Chapter 8 of this Manual addresses Best Practices of Student Leadership Councils.

4.3.3 Community Colleges and Technical Institutes

The nation's community colleges and technical institutes are valuable and often underused sources of technical workers. Community colleges serve a vast number and diverse population of students. For example, in Maryland between 40% and 60% of students in post-secondary education are at community colleges. Due to the flexible scheduling, modest cost, and other reasons, community colleges attract large numbers of women and minority students. It is estimated that half of the Hispanic students attending college nationwide are at community colleges.

In addition, many community colleges have historically close ties with industry. Industry-oriented or industry-sponsored certificate courses and technical training programs are often associated with community colleges rather than four-year colleges. For example, Howard Community College (HCC), which is collaborating closely with the Johns Hopkins ERC in Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (CISST), is already the basis of a Regional Center in Emerging Technologies and has industry-funded labs and certificate courses oriented toward technology industries. The technicians and skilled workers of the technology industries are likely to be products of the community college systems.

Despite this obvious connection with the ERC technology infrastructure, very few ERC programs have actively focused on creating links with community colleges. We are aware of only four ERCs that have made substantial partnerships with community colleges or technical institutes. It may be that community college efforts, falling in the gap between education on the cutting edge of new technology and outreach effort to the K-12 pipeline, simply offer less obvious benefit to the ERC universities. It is also possible that, because of an emphasis on continued technological innovation, few ERC's have developed to the stage of a mature technology where training programs are an industrial priority.

The CISST effort is the most active link with a community college among current ERCs. A major CISST effort to join community college faculty was proposed to become an Advanced Technology Education (ATE) regional center. This effort included partnerships with JHU, Howard Community College (in the Baltimore suburbs), and Baltimore Public Schools along with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Allegheny Community College, and the Pittsburgh Public Schools, focusing on ERC summer research experiences for community college and high school teachers. Articulation agreements for community college student transfers to the ERC institutions as well as "reverse articulation agreements" for JHU and CMU students to take hands-on and certificate courses at the community colleges were also proposed. Although this proposal was not funded, an ATE planning grant was recommended as a supplement and is being pursued.

Another successful ERC-community college program has been established at the ERC for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing (CEBSM) at the University of Arizona (UA). This program links Pima Community College (PCC) students with ERC undergraduates to work as a team in an internship at an industrial site. Six to eight students, evenly divided between PCC and UA students, have been given the opportunity to work together at industrial sites to explore the engineer-technician teaming aspect of technology. This program has been a successful vehicle for career networking and recruitment, as one PCC student and one UA student have taken jobs with their internship employer. The program is being expanded though a connection with a Research Experiences for Teachers program to team a K-12 teacher with the two students at the industrial site.

The ERC in Reconfigurable Machining Systems (ERC/RMS) at the University of Michigan has entered a partnership with Washtenaw Technical Middle College (WTMC). The ERC/RMS has given a presentation to parents of the WTMC students, provided opportunities for tours of the ERC facility, sponsored a student-to-student panel, and created a mentoring program. Currently 13 ERC students and 16 WTMC students are participating in the mentorship program, and the ERC/RMS has plans to expand this effort.

One side effect of the community college links has emerged from the JHU experience. A large workshop on "Linking Teachers to Research Experience," aimed at high school teachers, drew 300 high school and middle school teachers to HCC on a Saturday where they viewed posters and demonstrations related to ERC themes and learned about more than 40 Research Experiences for Teacher (RET) opportunities at the ERC. The large turnout may be attributed to its location at HCC. Community colleges are designed to be accessible to the community; parking is easy and the intimidation factor is low. People know where the community colleges are and are accustomed to coming there for community events. The Center for Power Electronics Systems at Virginia Tech is proposing to exploit this effect in using community colleges as regional meeting places to work with elementary and middle school teachers.

4.3.4 Precollege Outreach

It is widely recognized that much of the difficulty of recruiting enough well-prepared students into engineering programs is a "pipeline" problem, the roots of which lie farther back along the educational path than the freshman year, reaching into high school and even earlier academic experience. ERC K-12 outreach programs are focused at helping fill that pipeline with prepared and motivated students. However, no ERC can be all things to all constituencies. Each ERC should determine what precollege offerings make sense in the context of its strategic plan, resources, and community relationships.

Some suggestions for achieving successful outreach can be drawn from experience:

• To make the best use of limited resources for ERCs' precollege outreach, many ERCs work in partnership with other education and outreach programs. For maximum impact, it is best to seek out established programs to which ERCs can add significant value, or to find promising new endeavors with which to partner.
  
• Another feature of many successful outreach programs is the involvement of graduate and undergraduate students or student leadership councils (SLCs) in school visits, student tours, or as teacher or student research mentors. Secondary school students often relate well to university students, who are closer to their own age.
  
• To encourage program diversity, it is useful to partner wherever possible with established campus multicultural programs. Engineering colleges normally have offices responsible for multicultural programs and recruiting.
  
• To have successful outreach programs in multi-university centers, it is best to have a professor, staff member or student responsible for the outreach program at each participating location. Programs can be administered from a central location, but an on-site representative on each campus is desirable. Forming an education committee or thrust with a representative from each campus can be valuable in accomplishing this goal.

The outreach programs described below are for both K-12 students and their teachers. Programs aimed at students include summer camps and courses, research experiences and internships, science and engineering competitions, lab tours and school visits, lectures, and science and education fairs. Teacher programs include conferences and workshops, research experiences and internships for teachers, and development of curricular materials and classroom aids.

4.3.4.1 Outreach to Students

Student Camps and Courses. Many ERCs have sponsored student camps and courses to involve K-12 students in fun, hands-on science experiences and thereby interest them in technology and careers in science, mathematics, and engineering. Summer camps are particularly popular as programs targeted at minority students. To develop and implement such programs requires a significant commitment of administrative and research staff time and resources. Some existing programs are:

• Particle Engineering Research Center(summer camp)
  
• ERC for Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (summer camp)
  
• Center for Power Electronics Systems (summer camp)
  
• ERC for Reconfigurable Machining Systems (five-day program aimed at minorities)
  
• Engineered Biomaterials Engineering Research Center (two programs of summer research experience for high school students)
  
• Integrated Media Systems Center (Multimedia University Academy to provide job training for at-risk inner city students).

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
The Particle Engineering Research Centercollaborates closely with the University of Florida College of Engineering Gator Outreach Program, in a series of four middle school and high school summer engineering camps. Participants learn about engineered particle systems by making paint, learn about particle characterization, and experience colloidal chemistry with everyday examples. One camp is designed specifically for middle schools girls and another is designed for minority students, to improve engineering awareness in these underrepresented groups.

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
The ERC on Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems has been an active participant of DAPCEP (Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program). The mission of DAPCEP is to increase the number of historically underrepresented students who are motivated and prepared academically to complete a university curriculum in science and engineering. The ERC program involves bringing area 7th and 8th grade students to campus on Saturdays to study topics on Design and Manufacturing in the ERC/RMS such as "Learn New Ways of Making Things." ERC/RMS students act as the instructors and mentors for the program.

Research Experiences for Students. Most ERCs also offer summer research programs or internships for K-12 students. The purpose is to get students into research labs early in their careers, to excite an interest in research and in science or engineering careers. These programs can require significant effort from administrative and research staff. They generally involve center graduate students, too.

Student Competitions. Several ERCs sponsor student technology competitions or science fairs. Often this is done by involving center researchers and graduate students as well as local partner organizations. The purpose is to involve students early in exciting science projects and research, or in fairs and exhibits displaying interesting and topical research.

The ERC for Computer-Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology, for example, sponsors a "What Is Engineering?" program at the Montgomery County Education Fair. The Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSSIS) at Northeastern University sponsors a design competition for middle school students at risk.

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
The ERC for Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology sponsors a semiannual robotics competition for local high school students. The CISSRS LEGO Robot Competition is a weekend-long competition giving high school students hands-on education and experience in engineering problem solving. The students, working in teams, use LEGO MindstormsTM kits provided by the ERC to design, build, and program a robot to perform a simulated surgical procedure.

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
The instructional shaking tables being developed by the three Earthquake Engineering Centers under the University Consortium for Instructional Shake Tables (UCIST) are also serving as a means of outreach to pre-college students, non-engineering students, and the general public. For instance, a mini-shake table competition among high school students was being developed as a cooperative project of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEACOC) and the ten partner universities of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Center in California, using these shake tables. The winner of each regional competition was hosted by SEAOC to their Annual Meeting where the "finals" of the competition took place. This program builds on the PEER/UC Irvine K-12 LEGO shaking table competition, in which students receive basic building instruction, then build and test their models in a group competition. According to PEER Education Director Gerard Pardoen, "When the shake table gets going, the students get terribly excited!"

Student Tours and Visits. Another way to involve local K-12 students and teachers in ERC research is to offer tours to school groups, or to send ERC students into local schools to demonstrate and discuss their research. These tours and visits may require slightly less organizational time than organizing student camps or internships. Most ERCs offer student tours, but only a few offer school visits. Centers offering school visits include the following:

• ERC for Reconfigurable Machining Systems (partnership with the college of engineering for half-day school visits)
  
• Engineered Biomaterials Engineering Research Center (presentations on biomaterials for community and school outreach and visits).
  
• Center for Particle Science and Technology ("Scientist Day" visits to area middle and high schools to conduct hands-on presentations).

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
Georgia Tech's ERC for the Engineering of Living Tissues student leadership council has developed "Prosthetic Pete," an interactive display with mechanical devices "for replacements and improvements in the body plus descriptions of tissue engineered replacements being developed," which they take to Atlanta area high schools. This initiative enables K-12 students to learn about the possibilities available to them in college curriculums. Prosthetic Pete introduces students to what bioengineering is, how to get involved in it as a career, and what possibilities exist for tissue-engineering different parts of the body. Prosthetic Pete is now being developed into an interactive on-line learning module, which will include interviews with graduate students illustrating their paths toward engineering as a career.

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
The ERC on Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems has assembled a Portable Manufacturing System, which consists of a table-top robot and milling machine, which are interfaced with a personal computer. The system is taken to area middle and high schools to introduce the students to manufacturing engineering through an innovative hands-on engineering program. Students are first taught a course on computer aided design and simple computer programming. Building upon these skills, they then learn about and use a robot and milling machine. This project allows students an opportunity to see a project to completion from the concept and design phase, to manufacturing a simple product. In its first semester the project benefited more than 200 students.

Public Lectures. UWEB participates in a community science event onbiomaterials. Such opportunities to participate in ongoing outreach efforts can be easy ways for ERCs to reach out to communities.

4.3.4.2 Outreach to Teachers

Conferences and Workshops. Several ERCs offer teacher conferences and workshops. Many ERCs feel that it is possible to multiply their efforts and reach more K-12 students by increasing teacher interest and knowledge in science and engineering, particularly exciting new research. Organizing these conferences can also require significant amounts of administrative and research staff effort. Participating in an existing conference requires less effort. Some ERCs offering or participating in teacher conferences are:

• ERC for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing (summer three-day teacher conference)
  
• Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (teacher training seminars on earthquake hazards).
  
• Marine Bioproducts ERC (teacher workshop in conjunction with state science teacher meeting)

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
In the fall of 1999, the Marine Bioproducts ERC (MarBEC) sponsored a workshop in marine bioproducts for precollege teachers in conjunction with the annual joint conference of the Hawaii Science Teachers' Association (HaSTA) and the Hawaii Environmental Education Association (HEEA). Twenty-seven teachers from across the state participated in the workshop, with presentations from MarBEC faculty, an industry partner, and several master teachers from private and public systems. Each participant received a loose-leaf resource manual compiled by the MarBEC intern/workshop coordinator. Two participants developed marine-biotech activities for their grade levels. As testament to the effectiveness and impact of this workshop on K-12 students, all three of the MarBEC awardees in the 2000 Hawaii Science and Engineering Fair credited teachers or mentors who had attended this workshop.

Research Experiences for Teachers. Most ERCs offer research internships or experiences for teachers during the summer months. Nine substantial multi-year grants to ERCs were made in summer 2001 under the NSF-wide RET program. Awards went to the ERCs at Northeastern University, Johns Hopkins, the University of Arizona, the University of Washington, Georgia Tech (Living Tissues ERC), MIT (Biotechnology Process Engineering Center), and Vanderbilt University (two awards). See the list of programs in Attachment 4-2 for links to detailed descriptions of these programs.

Again, the purpose of all such programs is to excite and revitalize teachers by providing them with knowledge of cutting-edge research. Some of these programs require teachers to write new lesson plans based on their research experiences. Planning these experiences can require significant amounts of both administrative and research staff time. Graduate student researchers will need to be heavily involved.

Development of Teaching Kits and Aids. Several ERCs have developed curricular materials for teachers based on their research expertise. This approach requires some knowledge of secondary curricular development as well as subject expertise. Partnerships with colleges of education or use of education students may be appropriate. ERCs that have developed curricular materials are listed below:

• ERC in Wireless Integrated Microsystems (set of teaching aids using MEMS hardware)
  
• Engineered Biomaterials Engineering Research Center ("Guy Simplant," a web-based computer learning environment, and three kits-angiograms, cochlear implants, and cell adhesion)
  
• Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (teacher and student materials and references)
  
• The Mid-Atlantic Earthquake Engineering Research Center (K-6 instructional materials on earthquakes)
  
• ERC for Reconfigurable Machining Systems (portable lab to demonstrate the connection between product design and manufacturing).

FEATURED EXAMPLE:
The Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (http://www.censsis.neu.edu) has an ambitious education program, to which the director is passionately devoted. The center's K-12 Education Outreach program has been designed, developed, and implemented in partnership with the Center for the Enhancement of Science and Mathematics Education (CESAME) at Northeastern University http://www.cesame.neu.edu. After 12 years experience in education programs, the director understood the importance of partnering with other organizations to share their expertise and use their network of contacts. Doing so saves time and resources, and allows the programs to take advantage of the credibility of these established entities.

In selecting projects for their program many aspects are considered, so that a project is not an end in itself. One goal is to have a lasting impact-addressing a real problem rather than just creating a momentary interlude. A second goal is to improve the number and diversity of students moving along the engineering pathway. Finally, the project should connect to the ongoing work of the center.

One project that has taken place in the past two years (2000-2002) is the CenSSIS Challenge "Hidden Worlds" for high school students and their teachers at the annual Massachusetts Pre-Engineering Program (MassPEP) competition. Project coordinators develop a different challenge each year. In 2002, student teams used remote digital cameras to capture information and, from a photo-mosaic, identify objects and structures and measure distances between objects. Prior to the competition, the teachers and students were provided with a digital camera and printer and a list of suggested activities to become familiar with the specifications of the camera and practice the skills necessary to complete the challenge.

This project meets the education program's goals by providing equipment and technology, thus addressing the real problem of infusing technology into the schools. By participating in the MassPEP event, with its extensive network of involved urban schools, diverse student groups are introduced to the engineering pathway in a fun and exciting way. The content of each challenge is based on real problems faced by the center's partner institutions, in this case the mapping of coral reefs.

In the future the center hopes to distribute the project through their partner institutions to other urban areas. Currently the challenge project is funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education. The center will use core funding if necessary to continue the project, however, because of its systemic impact.

If you have specific comments and questions on the contents of this site and/or its use, please contact webmaster@erc-assoc.org. To report technical problems, contact techhelp@erc-assoc.org.