Monday, February 23, 2009
Engineering student in high school classroom
 Senior engineering major Dariusz Stachowiak is gaining extra skills and experience as he prepares to graduate from the University of Southern Indiana in May. Stachowiak is the first student to enroll in Engineering 298X, a one-hour credit service-learning course that puts him in a high school classroom as a teaching assistant. Through a partnership between Central High School and the USI Engineering Department, engineering majors assist teachers in Central’s Industrial Tech Department. As a Project Lead the Way school, Central’s teachers seek out ways to promote student achievement and interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. USI received STEM grants from the National Science Foundation to help fund the program, which benefits all involved: engineering majors, high school teachers, and high school students. Stachowiak helps Central teacher Eric Havener in a Principles of Engineering class for sophomores and juniors two to three times a week. “My advisor said the course would provide an opportunity to practice communication skills,” he said. “I have the time in my schedule and I want to be prepared for upcoming job interviews, so it is a good fit.” In addition to gaining language skills for presenting material, engineering majors receive leadership and mentoring skills. Employers request students exhibit these skills during the hiring process. In a recent lesson, the class created a sorter to separate marbles by color. “The mechanism the students created uses a sensor to read the color of a marble and then moves the marble to a specified bin.” This allowed Stachowiak to determine the best way to explain a process, troubleshoot with the students, and practice skills he will need in his engineering career. Teacher Havener interacts with USI faculty to continue to develop curriculum and gain additional teaching techniques and knowledge. And the high school students benefit from early exposure to the engineering field. Stachowiak said, “I have seen college students excel when they have that background from high school.” Stachowiak is from Bensenville, Illinois. He is a graduate of Driscoll Catholic High School and the son of John and Donna Stachowiak. USI is the lead institution representing Southwest Indiana in the Indiana STEM Resource Network. USI and Ivy Tech Community College, Southwest, are partners helping the region and the state develop a workforce with skills necessary to compete in today’s technology and science-based economy. Kathy Funke News & Information Services 812/465-7050 kfunke@usi.edu |
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