Forming a leadership bridge between high school and college: The energy and STEM leadership program

Abstract

Engineering and Engineering Technology education is more important than it has ever been, as majority of the global challenges faced by humanity today ties to engineering and engineering technology majors. As the availability of the information and the wisdom of crowds increase, the need for preparing students to face challenges that are not only personal or local but also global increased tremendously. With the increased emphasis on engineering and engineering technology many higher education institutions developed STEM K12 programs, and organized outreach for middle and high school students. This trend also helped many high school students to complete college credits and gain college experience while they are still in high school. The most important component of these initiatives is no doubt closing the gap between high schools and higher education institutions, and making higher education institutions more approachable. This study will provide an overview of the proposed program that is currently being developed, and discuss components of the curriculum and laboratory development. It is important to note that this particular program is designed within the frame work of 7th-12th grade secondary science education in New York State.