Techtronics is an after school science enrichment program that encourages at-risk middle school students to pursue careers in engineering and technical fields. A joint venture between the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University and Rogers-Herr Middle School in Durham, North Carolina, Techtronics seeks to stimulate intellectual curiosity in engineering through exposure to four engineering disciplines: civil, mechanical, electrical/computer, and biomedical engineering. The mature program now includes fully developed lesson plans for two sections of students, Techtronics I for 6 th grade and Techtronics II for 7 th grade, each led by a graduate student coordinator and five undergraduate teaching Fellows. Emphasis is placed on learning through hands-on experience and creating an environment that encourages inquiry. Students first study applicable scientific theory and are introduced to instrumentation and software tools that will be needed later. Each unit then culminates in the construction of a related project such as balsa wood bridges, Lego robotics, AM radios, or heart monitors. With a student return rate of over 70% for 2003-2004, the program is achieving its goal to provide a stimulating creative outlet for students with interest in science and engineering. Techtronics is funded by a three-year grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Student Science Enrichment Program whose goals are to improve students' competence in science, to nurture their enthusiasm for science and engineering, and to stimulate interest in pursuing careers in engineering and the sciences. This paper gives a brief overview of the Techtronics program and discusses methods of motivating students in an after school setting

TechXcite is an engineering-focused, discovery-based after-school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program. The free curriculum is downloadable from http://techxcite.pratt.duke.edu/and is comprised of eight Modules, each with four to five 45-minute activities that exercise the science and math learned in school by using engineering principles to build products or learn processes that improve the quality of life. Ninety-eight percent of TechXcite instructors indicated that students learned and demonstrated improved competence in science and engineering. TechXcite Modules include building prosthetic arms, infrared remote controls, solar-powered cars, harvesting rain water, and imaging biological systems.

received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering in 2006. Since graduating, Paul has been the Co-director of Engineering K-Ph.D., the Pratt School of Engineering's K-12 outreach program. In this position, he is an editor for the TeachEngineering Digital Library, develops afterschool engineering curriculum through the TechXcite program, and previously managed Duke's engineering GK-12 program.