CURENT Collaborates with Diversity Engineering Summer Programs

June 28th, 2013

For the second year in a row, CURENT teamed up with the UT College of Engineering's Office of Diversity Programs summer initiatives. This year, the center facilitated the engineering design component of the Middle School Introduction to Engineering Systems (MITES) program.

CURENT worked with the group of 32 middle school students to design a micro grid, including hand made generators, motors, and solar powered houses. The group also built solar cars and worked with circuits and voltage meters. At the end of the week, each group presented their projects to UT faculty, staff, parents, and peers.

"We were pleased to collaborate with CURENT to host the Engineering Design experience for MITES 2013," said Travis Griffin, Director of Diversity Programs. "This is our second year working with CURENT, and each year the experience gets better."

The activities and lessons were prepared by Erin Wills, Education Coordinator at CURENT, Jessica Minton, and Olivia Ritter, both of who are local teachers working with the center in a research experience this summer. Additional support was provided by Geneva Doak, Terence Randall, and staff member Adam Hardebeck.

CURENT's involvement with the MITES program aligns with the National Science Foundation's mission of Engineering Research Centers to bring engineering knowledge and concepts to the pre-college audience.