CSE K-12 outreach programs

2019-20 K-12 Outreach Report

K-12 Outreach Programs

We envision a community of scientists and engineers who leverage their diverse perspectives to address critical societal challenges with innovative solutions. With this vision in mind, we are on a mission to inspire and equip the next generation of students to pursue a science, engineering, or mathematics degree by building relationships and implementing impactful outreach programs.

2019 Summer Programs

College of Science and Engineering (CSE) summer programs employed a team of four CSE undergraduate Outreach Assistants. Outreach Assistants complete over 40 hours of position-related orientation and training, including earning their American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED certification. They operate with a high level of responsibility and independence to serve as “near peer” camp counselors, mentors, and role models to program participants. This employment experience develops transferable skills like leadership, teamwork, and communication

Discover STEM Girls Inc. Eureka! TRIO Upward Bound Internships PLTW Teacher Trainings
A diverse group of high school students participate in a Discover STEM tissue engineering exercise.

Discover STEM

Discover STEM is a week-long day camp on campus offering a hands-on introduction to the variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics opportunities at CSE for participants entering 11-12th grade. Participants experience campus life, learn more about academic programs, and explore potential careers through activities such as: lab experiments, science and technology demonstrations, campus, residential life, and lab tours, as well as lectures and career panel discussions.

In 2019, we offered three sessions of Discover STEM: June 17-21, July 29-August 2, and August 5-9.

Sponsored by 3M and Polaris.

Discover STEM student participates in an experiment

109

Applicants
Two Discover STEM students participate in an activity

75

Admitted Students
Discover STEM student participates in an activity

69%

Acceptance Rate

Discover STEM participants are high achieving, college bound, and diverse.  

Discover STEM Admitted demographics column chart: 64% 3.8+ GPA; 63% Have taken some college-level STEM coursework; 52% Have taken any tech course; 89% Have participated in at least one STEM extracurricular; 55% Have participated in at least one community service or leadership activity
Discover STEM Demographics: 75% 12th Graders; 83% MN Residents; 51% Female; 56% Students of Color; 15% Potential first-generation college students
Two high school students wearing safety goggles participate in a chemistry summer camp

Matriculation Rate

Over two-thirds of Discover STEM participants apply to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Of the 429 campers that have graduated high school (spanning the fall 2015-fall 2019 enrolling NHS cohorts):

Discover STEM matriculation Bar Chart, UMTC vs. CSE - 68% vs. 49% Applied for freshman admission; 61% vs. 38% Admitted; 26% vs. 18% Enrolled

Program Volunteers

In addition to the Assistant Director of Outreach and four CSE undergraduate Outreach Assistants, the following people and units volunteered:

  • Center for Transportation Studies
    Brian Davis
  • Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Zhi Yang
  • Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
    Ulrike Tschirner
  • Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science
    Samira Azarin
  • Department of Chemistry
    Erin Carlson
  • Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering
    Joseph Labuz, Erin Surdo
  • Department of Computer Science and Engineering
    Dan Keefe, Junaed Sattar, Catherine Zhao
  • Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
    Katsumi Matsumoto
  • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
    Andrew Lamperski
  • Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
    Kevin Leder
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering
    Peter Bruggeman, Sungyon Lee
  • Graduate Women in Biomedical Engineering
    Mikayla Hall
  • Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
    McKenzie Coughlin, Bharat Jalan, Vlad Pribiag
  • Minnesota Nano Center
    Jim Marti

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Three middle school students do a chemistry experiment in a Eureka! summer camp

Girls Inc. Eureka!

Partnering with Girls Inc. at YWCA of Minneapolis, the College of Science and Engineering offered Eureka!, a month-long science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) intensive summer day camp program to increase Minnesota's educational equity. Together, the partnership has nurtured STEM interest and confidence in 140 underrepresented and underserved participants representing over 50 schools around the Twin Cities.

Eureka! is Girls Inc. at the YWCA of Minneapolis’ five-year summer and school year program for girls focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The College of Science and Engineering is proud to be the University partner in offering two concurrent month-long day camps for rising 8-9th grade girls. Eureka! builds sisterhood with girls from all over the Twin Cities, exploring their career interests and dreams while supporting them through high school graduation and preparing them for the next step in their post-secondary education.  Sponsored by 3M and Polaris.

Eureka! participant demographics

Photo of 2 Eureka students having fun, and Eureka demographics pie charts: 100% identify as girls; 81% identify as BIPOC; 60% are eligible for free/reduced price lunch; 34% would be first generation college students


80% of Eureka! participants return for all 5 years of the program.

Program Volunteers

In addition to the Assistant Director of Outreach and four CSE undergraduate Outreach Assistants, the following people and units volunteered:

  • Anderson Innovation Labs
    Ben Guengerich
  • Center for Transportation Studies
    Brian Davis
  • Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics
    James Flaten
  • Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Zhi Yang
  • Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering
    Snober Ahmed, Ulrike Tschirner
  • Department of Chemical Engineering and Material Science
    Samira Azarin, Lorraine Francis
  • Department of Chemistry
    Ambika Bhagi-Damodaran, Erin Carlson
  • Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering
    Erin Surdo
  • Department of Computer Science and Engineering
    Dan Keefe, Junaed Sattar, Lana Yarosh
  • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
    Mingyi Hong
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering
    Julianna Able, Peter Bruggeman
  • Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center
    Steve Thomalla
  • Experimental Surgical Services
    Mickey Dunning
  • Graduate Women in Biomedical Engineering
    Mikayla Hall
  • Minnesota Nano Center
    Jim Marti

This program was sponsored by 3M and Polaris.

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2019 TRiO Upward Bound staff

TRIO Upward Bound internships

High school summer internships offer underrepresented and underserved high school students research and hands-on STEM experiences on campus. The College of Science and Engineering was proud to partner with the University of Minnesota’s Libraries and TRiO Upward Bound program in offering a four week part-time internship for 5 rising 10-12th graders. CSE undergraduate Outreach Assistants worked alongside the high school interns in small groups to complete two projects: a major/career exploration research project and a hands-on design project. Affiliated units include the Anderson Innovation Lab and the Departments of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, and the School of Mathematics.

Sponsored by 3M and Polaris.

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Two participants in 2015 PLTW training sessions

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) teacher trainings

Project Lead the Way is a national organization that provides K-12 pre-engineering curriculum and teacher training. The University of Minnesota is proud to be a PLTW Training Hub. In PLTW Core Training, teachers take on the role of a student, engage in in-depth exploration of PLTW coursework, and gain invaluable experience to take back to their classrooms. In 2019, eight PLTW courses were offered to 125 teachers, including 48 from Minnesota.

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2019-20 Academic Year Programs

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought academic year programming to an abrupt and early end in March this year. We are committed to providing a safe environment for our community, and we look forward to welcoming youth to campus again soon.

Custom Field Trips Supported Student Group Efforts Grant Activities
A high school student in a group smiles as they observe a chemistry experiment.

Custom field trips

Custom field trips invite school groups and youth organizations to campus to try their hand at an engineering challenge, tour a research laboratory, learn about the college experience from our undergraduates, and more. 

Annually, most field trips are scheduled for the Spring semester. 

Of the 25 field trip requests, 15 trips were scheduled and 6 were completed before the COVID-19 shutdown.

Of the completed field trips:

216 students attended CSE field trips, including:

 

 

 

Most requested field trip activities:

  • Hands-on activities
  • Lab tours

Students were in 4-12th grade groups, including:

 

 


CSE units that hosted at least one field trip group included BBE, CEGE, ESci, MnDRIVE Robotics, MN Nano Center, and SWE


Growth Opportunity: Increasing field trip programming
(estimated $10,000 for pilot year)

All field trips were from Minnesota, but none were from Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools.

  • Hire school year outreach assistant
  • Involve student groups in field trips (offer stipends for participating)
  • Offer field trip bus reimbursement for schools meeting free/reduced lunch criteria

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2019 Society of Women Engineers group photo

Supported Student Group Efforts:

“STEM is for U!”

  • Student group led after school enrichment program
  • 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 Separate STEM Outreach Coalition (CLP)
  • 2019-2020 Absorbed into the Science and Engineering Student Board as their signature outreach program

eMentoring with BestPrep

  • 2019-2020 Society of Women Engineers
Graphic illustration of launching ideas from a laptop

Grant Activities

  • Submitted “STEM Youth Scholars,” a NSF ITEST proposal (unsuccessful at this time)
    • Saint Paul Public Schools and College of Education and Human Development co-PIs and partners
  • Wrote 17 letters of collaboration/support

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