Engineering faculty at Iowa State University have worked collaboratively with teacher education faculty since 1996 to offer an undergraduate course entitled Toying with Technology to elementary and secondary education majors1, 2. The development of this technology literacy course provided students with an appreciation for the technological innovations that surround them. Studies have shown that students form many of their overall career and educational attitudes as early as elementary school. Elementary (and even secondary) schoolteachers who have an appreciation for technology will likely convey that appreciation to their students. This will, in turn, broaden the horizons of these students regarding the opportunities they may have regarding careers in scientific and engineering disciplines. Engineering faculty believe the Toying with Technology course is a component of the long-term recruitment of K-12 students, particularly minorities and women, into technology-based fields3, 4, 5. This course is designed to explain the principles behind many of the technological innovations in wide use today via a collection of hands-on laboratory experiences based upon simple systems constructed out of LEGOs and controlled by small computers. These laboratory experiences are designed to lead students, literally by their hands-on experimentation, through the use of technology in support of many everyday activities. The lab experiences are simple enough to isolate and illuminate the underlying basic principles and yet complex enough to represent real-world examples. Students typically design and construct simple models of real-world systems, including an elevator and its controller, a garage door and its opener, a computercontrolled car, and a house security system. A significant portion of this course is the many field experiences involving K-12 students being facilitated in mobile robotics exercises by the pre-service teachers. The literature in recent years shows numerous papers on mobile robotics1, 2, 6-8, many using LEGOs. There also are many references to engineering outreach efforts3-5, 8-12. During the summer of 2000 a graduate course incorporating these mobile robotics and scanning electron microscope exercises was offered to in-service teachers and teacher education graduate students. Several of the in-service teachers who took this course are now partnered with the current undergraduate students to provide an ongoing relationship among the practicing teacher, the pre-service teachers, the K-12 students, and the engineering faculty. In effect, the practicing teacher's classroom becomes the laboratory for the Toying With Technology course.

As the demand for engineers continues to grow it is necessary to educate young students in technology and science related careers. This challenges educators to make engineering exciting and interesting. The following briefly details the implementation of a youth-development program that is committed to preparing the engineers of tomorrow. The non-profit organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST TM) has created FIRST TM LEGO® League to encourage and equip students ages nine to fourteen to pursue careers in engineering and technology fields. Through this program, FIRST TM hopes to develop the qualities of teamwork, cooperation, creativity, problem solving, sportsmanship, confidence, communication, and leadership in middle-school youth across the nation. The only roadblock in the proliferation of the program is the apprehension of schools and civic organizations to commit to the activity considering their involvements in a variety of other activities. Since the start of this program at Ames Middle School, each of the seventeen participants has been successful in building the skills they need to become the engineers of the future. Participating on the FIRST TM LEGO League teams has helped these students develop problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, personal responsibility, time management, and creativity. Individuals have also gained a better understanding of engineering, as well as achieving new confidence levels, interests, and involvement in science and math. Many of these skills will be invaluable to the students regardless of what career path they take; however, the activities and experiences are enticing their appetites for engineering and technology, creating engineers for the future.