John writes:
Recently I had a conversation with Dr. Tom Landers, dean of the OU College of Engineering, about future engineers – who they will be, what they will do, where they will do it, and why they will do it.
Landers said he was truly envious of the next generation of engineering graduates because he felt like we’re entering one of the most exciting periods in human history for science and engineering. “Scientific discovery is progressing at exponential rates,” he said. “An engineer’s work has become global in scope, across a wide range of disciplines. Today, a career in engineering requires left-brain intellect and right-brain creativity — it’s become a truly creative profession.”
And then Landers said something I thought was very foretelling: “For all the engineering profession has achieved over the last 100 years, the decades ahead pose some of the most critical challenges mankind has ever faced … issues faced by every generation but now with great complexity and global competitive pressures, like energy, water, food, environment, security and health. In one way or another, all these problems will ultimately be solved by engineers.”
He’s right. Just about all of the advancements and technologies we take for granted today – airplanes and spacecraft, television and cell phones, lasers and fiber optics, diagnostic medical imaging and smart prosthetics, computers and software, to name a few – are the result creative people working in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math, the so-called STEM professions.
Landers and the OU College of Engineering understand that the future of engineering innovation depends on inspiring young people to study math and science and to develop and express their creative talents; the seeds of 21st century problem solving must be sown in the fertile, creative minds of K-12 students.
Statistically, America has been falling behind our international competitors in the areas of math and science. This isn’t due to a lack of ability; it’s due to a lack of emphasis. It’s been proven that the earlier children are exposed to STEM concepts, the better and more comfortable they are with them later in life.
A great example of OU’s commitment to “growing” early passion for engineering is the Summer Engineering Academy it hosts every July. This academy is unique in its focus on helping both teachers and students gain a greater “real world” understanding about the engineering profession.
It’s a two-session camp. First, high school teachers work with OU graduate students and professors, who help them learn how to better integrate science, mathematics and engineering concepts into the classroom. The goal is to help science and math teachers learn an effective approach to authentic learning that will create excitement and understanding about how engineering innovations improve our life, fuel economic growth and safeguard the environment.
During the academy’s second three-day workshop, the newly-trained teachers put their skills into practice by leading high school students through creative problem-based learning experiences designed to connect what they learn in science and math classes with what goes on in the outside world.
This year’s Summer Engineering Academy on OU’s Norman campus provided a dozen teachers and nearly 50 students from across Oklahoma the chance to experience aerospace engineering by examining aerodynamics and flight controls; review solar power techniques that incorporated aspects of electrical engineering; and investigate environmental engineering by observing atmospheric gases and the greenhouse effect.
We need more programs like the Summer Engineering Academy to help energize and revitalize science, technology, engineering and math education with students, parents and teachers. When you see the level of interest, excitement and wonder this program creates in kids, it truly makes you optimistic about the future.
Like Tom Landers says, “when you look ahead to the challenges and creative opportunities the next 100 years will bring, there’s never been a better time than now to become an engineer.”
It’s a message every bright and ambitious young student should be inspired to consider.
For more information about the OU College of Engineering visit www.ou.edu/coe
Tags: Anglin PR, engineering, OU College of Engineering, Tom Landers
