“Reflecting the natural connections between our programs and our partners, our newsletter is a way for us to keep our friends informed about our progress at the Center for Engineering Outreach.”
From the first issue of ConnectionsA newsletter from the Center for Engineering Outreach
Introducing Connections
Committed to inspiring and preparing tomorrow's engineers, the Center for Engineering Outreach at Texas Tech University is a leader in K-12 engineering outreach across the state of Texas and the South Plains. As a center, we're excited to work with K-12 educators and play a part in helping students bridge the gap between K-12 education and the university.
Driven by the demand for engineerings in today's economy, K-12 engineering outreach allows universities like Texas Tech to encourage the next generation of engineering students.
Our newsletter, Connections, is our way of staying in touch with our engineering outreach partners in K-12 education, industry and higher education.
Teacher Training Workshop Dates Announced
With more than 5,500 K-12 science teachers in attendance, the 2005 Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) set the stage for the kickoff of our 2006 teacher training workshops.
Announcing our largest catalog of workshops to date, the Center for Engineering Outreach unveiled plans for the next series of cutting-edge, engineering workshops designed for the K-12 classroom.
Junior High Students Blaze Trails to Engineering
In West Texas, cattle trailers are as common as cotton fields.
But pack that same trailer full of engineering experiments nad the results are surprisingly uncommon.
Meet Trailblazer – a 40-foot-long trailer turned discovery center on wheels. A project of the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME), Trailblazer is jam packed with hands-on exhibits designed to get students interested in engineering careers.
Classroom Connections
Pumpkin Pi
Teach the basics of circle geometry with this fall-inspired activity.
Every November, engineers from across the country meet in Millsboro, Delaware, to see whose invention can throw a pumpkin the farthest using trebuchets, catapults and air-powered cannons.
This year, your class is entering the competition with an air-powered cannon. But before you can start building, you have to know how large to make the barrel of your cannon.
For the competition, your cannon will be firing pumpkins that weigh 8-10 pounds. Your engineering challenge is to measure the circumference of a variety of pumpkins and find the average diameter to use in the design of your punkin' chunkin' cannon.
Center for Engineering Outreach, Box 43103, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-3103
806.742.3451