Charge It! Translating Electric Vehicle Research Results to Engage 7th and 8th Grade Girls

Abstract

Despite attempts to generate interest in science and technology careers, US students continue to show reduced interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors at the collegiate level. If girls are not engaged in STEM learning by the middle school level, studies show that they are even less likely to choose a science-or engineering-related major. This article presents results from a workshop for 7th and 8th grade girls designed to promote knowledge building in the area of sustainability and alternative energy use in transportation and to stimulate greater interest in STEM subjects. The workshop based on research conducted at University X focused on basic concepts of electric vehicles and electric vehicles' batteries. Tests were conducted to evaluate the students' knowledge and perceptions of electric vehicles and to determine the impact of the workshop. Early exposure to meaningful engineering experiences for these young girls may boost interest and the eventual pursuit of engineering and technology education paths.

From Flying Cars to Tesla: Examining the Personal Automobile Preferences of Primary Schoolchildren in Denmark and the Netherlands

“…More recently, Egbue et al (2015) confirm that knowledge about electric mobility is something that can and should be learned. As they state: 'typically, students and even teachers have no experience about alternative fuel vehicles and as a result, it is not likely to be a topic discussed in class (2015, p.…”

“…In contrast to transport studies, the research on children's environmental awareness and environmental education is quite large and even includes multiple dedicated journals (Balmford et al, 2002;Borg et al, 2017;Leeson et al, 1997a;Payne, 2016). However, only Kopnina (2011) and Egbue et al (2015) seem to be dealing specifically with electric vehicles in this literature.…”

“…(Baslington, 2009;Urry, 2004). This might in turn explain the conflicting findings among more environmentally oriented studies, with some studies finding that children are aware of the environmental consequences of personal cars (Batterham et al, 1996;Leeson et al, 1997a) and others concluding that children know very little or hold misconceptions about the impact of cars and environmental sustainability in general (Balmford et al, 2002;Boyes and Stanisstreet, 1997;Egbue et al, 2015).…”

Lise Öğrencilerine Bilgisayar Donanımı Öğretimi: Devremi Kuruyorum

“…Mühendislik farkındalık projelerinin çoğunun ana amacı STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics -Bilim, Teknoloji, Mühendislik, Matematik) ve özellikle ECE (Electronics and Computer Engineering -Elektronik ve Bilgisayar Mühendisliği) programlarına kayıt olan öğrenci sayılarını arttırmaktır (Blair ve Davis, 2013, Smaill, 2010, Watkins ve Swift, 2007. Bazı çalışmalar yetenekli öğrenciler (Chan ve diğ., 2010) ve Mühendislik alanında Kadınlar (Women in Engineering) programı kapsamında kadınlar (Egbue, Long ve Ng, 2015, Molina-Gaudo, Baldassarri, Villarroya-Gaudo ve Cerezo, 2010 gibi belirli hedef gruplar üzerine odaklanmaktadır.…”

Robust control of a rigid link in a cross flow

“…Mühendislik farkındalık projelerinin çoğunun ana amacı STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics -Bilim, Teknoloji, Mühendislik, Matematik) ve özellikle ECE (Electronics and Computer Engineering -Elektronik ve Bilgisayar Mühendisliği) programlarına kayıt olan öğrenci sayılarını arttırmaktır (Blair ve Davis, 2013, Smaill, 2010, Watkins ve Swift, 2007. Bazı çalışmalar yetenekli öğrenciler (Chan ve diğ., 2010) ve Mühendislik alanında Kadınlar (Women in Engineering) programı kapsamında kadınlar (Egbue, Long ve Ng, 2015, Molina-Gaudo, Baldassarri, Villarroya-Gaudo ve Cerezo, 2010 gibi belirli hedef gruplar üzerine odaklanmaktadır. ECE alanındaki farkındalık projelerinin hedef kitleleri ilkokul, ortaokul ve lise olarak değişebilir.…”