Collaboration with Engineering Diversity Summer Programs Underway
June 20th, 2012
When Travis Griffin began planning the College of Engineering's summer pre-college initiatives for 2012 last August, he saw an opportunity to collaborate with the University of Tennessee's new Engineering Research Center, CURENT.
After several meetings in Estabrook Hall, Griffin, the director of Diversity Programs in the college, tabbed CURENT to create and host the engineering design component of his five middle and high school programs.
"The collaboration with CURENT has provided an exciting opportunity for students to engage with new faculty and students through instruction and laboratory experiments," said Griffin.
Students participating in the College of Engineering's AT&T MITES (Middle School Introduction to Engineering Systems), Bechtel HITES (High School Introduction to Engineering Systems), and INSTEP (Introduction of Sophomores to Engineering Principles) programs this summer will be designing solar cars, electric generators, smart grid neighborhoods, miniature power lines, and hydro-electric turbines as part of the collaboration. The program participants will devote four hours per day in UT's newest facility, the Min H. Kao Building, to work with CURENT's education staff, faculty, and students on these projects. Each group will also present their designs at the end of the week.
Griffin's intensive weeklong overnight camps are designed to give pre-college students an in-depth look at STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and the college experience. The MITES, HITES, & INSTEP programs also align with CURENT's educational goals of creating a new generation of engineering leaders with diverse backgrounds.
"The College of Engineering Summer Pre-College Programs promote STEM enrichment by providing an introduction to engineering, showcasing the application of mathematics, and teaching students what engineers do in the real world," said Griffin.
The MITES programs run between June 17-29, and all INSTEP and HITES programs take place during the month of July. 
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