Engaging K–12 Students in the Engineering Classroom: A Creative Use of Undergraduate Self-Directed Projects

Abstract

One major contributing factor to the low number of students receiving degrees in engineering is the two decades of steady decline in student enrollment in engineering disciplines. Evidence in the literature suggests that this decline can be linked to K-12 students' lack of knowledge of engineering careers and their perception of engineering as “boring.” This paper presents an “each-one-teach-one” approach to introducing chemical engineering to K-12 students that involves chemical engineering undergraduates, their course project, and a science fair style presentation to local high school students in an engineering classroom setting.