Contact: Bob Ratliff
Spaghetti, marshmallows and plastic straws may not be tools for most engineers, but they could be the ingredients that spark a career interest for elementary students.
They are items kindergarten through sixth-grade students use to build towers and other structures during the Summer Engineering Experience at Mississippi State University.
"The students participate in hands-on and problem solving activities that promote teamwork," said Teresa Sappington, coordinator of the College of Engineering's outreach programs.
Begun last year in Starkville, the program is being expanded this year to Tupelo and Greenville, she added.
The elementary-age effort is just one of the activities MSU's engineering college provides for youngsters to test their engineering potential.
"We offer many special events to promote engineering, mathematics and science to youngsters," Sappington said. "To introduce teachers and counselors to engineering, we bring them to campus to tour facilities and visit with faculty and students."
Assisting Sappington is the Engineering Enterprise Team, a group of 15 engineering majors trained to work with state elementary and secondary students. Team members, who last year met with some 2,000 youngsters, discuss their experiences in engineering and lead hands-on demonstrations.
The MSU engineering college also annually sponsors the state Region V Science and Engineering Fair. More than 1,100 students from 16 East Central Mississippi counties participated in 1999. The 2000 event will be held March 22 for grades 1-6 in Humphrey Coliseum, and March 24 for grades 7-12 in the coliseum.
Other outreach activities include:
--The University Familiarization Program for Minorities in Engineering, a summer residential program now in its 10th year that provides activities ranging from lectures to laboratories. Thirty participants are enrolled for the June 4-17, 2000, program.
--Women in Action camps sponsored and organized annually by the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers for seventh- and eighth-grade girls. A total of 90 students will attend the three four-day camps during June and July.