A Summer Camp in Engineering Physics for Incoming Freshman to Improve Retention and Student Success
- Conference
- Location
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Columbus, Ohio
- Publication Date
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June 24, 2017
- Start Date
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June 24, 2017
- End Date
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June 28, 2017
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Engineering Physics & Physics
- Page Count
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9
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--27520
- Permanent URL
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https://strategy.asee.org/27520
- Download Count
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585
Paper Authors
Hector A. Ochoa Stephen F. Austin State University
Hector A. Ochoa received his Ph.D. in computer engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso in 2007. He received his M.S. in Physical Sciences from The University of Texas at El Paso in 2004. He joined The University of Texas at Tyler as a visiting professor at the department of electrical engineering on Fall of 2007. In fall of 2008, he started working as an assistant professor at the same university. On the Spring of 2016 he Joined Stephen F. Austin University, teaching at the program in Engineering Physics. His research interests include: Radar Systems, Wireless Communications and Antennas.
Christopher J. Aul Stephen F. Austin State University
Mechanical Engineering professor at Stephen F. Austin State University serving the Engineering Physics degree within the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy. Research interests include combustion chemistry, laser diagnostics, engineering education, and outreach programs in STEM.
Dan Bruton Stephen F. Austin State University
Dr. Dan Bruton is a professor of Physics at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is an Associate Dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics and recently developed a new Engineering Physics degree program for SFA Students. He received his Ph.D. in physics from Texas A&M University and has a bachelors and masters degree in physics from Stephen F. Austin State University. He teaches courses in engineering, physics, and astronomy and conducts research at the SFA Observatory. Several master's theses and over 60 publications in the Minor Planet Electronic Circulars have resulted from minor planet research at SFA to date. He teaches Foundations in Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Digital Systems, and Observational Astronomy at SFA. A complete list of research and scholarly activities can be found at www.danbruton.com.
Collin J. Timmons Stephen F. Austin State University
Mr. Collin Timmons is a visiting lecturer in the Department of Physics, Engineering, and Astronomy at Stephen F Austin State University. He teaches courses in physics and engineering. He received his bachelors and masters degree in physics from Stephen F Austin State University.
Abstract
A Summer Camp in Engineering Physics for Incoming Freshman to Improve Retention and Student Success
Summer camps have proven to be a valuable tool to attract and recruit students interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field. They have been also used to spark their curiosity in areas like mathematics. However, these camps do not help with issues that appear after the student has been admitted at the university. It is well known that many students are shocked when they transition from high-school to college. Many of them do not know how to handle their academic freedom; they start without any friends, and they do not know the campus and the resources available. By realizing this situation a 1-week resident summer camp for incoming freshman has been created at <__>. The goal of this is camp is to help them with their transition from high-school to college. During the summer camp, they review concepts related to Math and Science, they are introduced to the campus and resources available, and they meet other students who are also interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field. The students stay at the dormitories located in campus; they eat in the cafeteria, and they collaborate with the professors in classroom and laboratory settings.
In this document the engineering physics experience and the project used during the 2016 summer will be presented. This experience was divided into lecture, laboratory experience, project design, fabrication, and testing. During the lecture and laboratory experience, the students learned basic concepts of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and physics necessary to find a solution to the problem given to them at the beginning of the camp. During the project design, the teams will develop multiple solutions for the problem based on restrictions and limitation established by the project. The fabrication is the phase in which the students will start to bring their ideas to life. The students were allowed to 3D print any parts necessary for their design. Finally, they tested their solution to see whether it will satisfy the requirements. In order to assess the success of the project, students were given a pre and post -test with concepts that the students were expected to learn or reinforce during the project. The last component from the engineering physics experience is the advising. The students will meet with the engineering physics faculty to talk about their degree plan, and the courses that they will be taking. The faculty observation from the engineering physics experience and the results from the pre and post –test will be presented in this document.
Ochoa, H. A., & Aul, C. J., & Bruton, D., & Timmons, C. J. (2017, June), A Summer Camp in Engineering Physics for Incoming Freshman to Improve Retention and Student Success Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--27520
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