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Motivating STEM Participation through a 'Making as Micro-manufacture (M3)' Model

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Conference

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah

Publication Date

June 23, 2018

Start Date

June 23, 2018

End Date

July 27, 2018

Conference Session

ET Peripherals

Tagged Division

Engineering Technology

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

13

DOI

10.18260/1-2--30822

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/30822

Download Count

564

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Paper Authors

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Osazuwa John Okundaye Jr Texas A&M University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-1197-8197

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Osazuwa is a first year PhD student at Texas A&M University. He is a part of the Texas A&M Embodied Interaction Lab (TEILab). His research is motivated by the idea of an embodied conception of the mind. He comes from an interdisciplinary background having earned a Bachelor's degree in psychology and a Masters of Science in Visualization afterward. He is versed in engaging the theoretical aspects of Human-Computer Interaction while able to engage in computer graphics applications (computer-aided design, modeling, animation, and 3D fabrication) and concepts pertaining to Computer Science.

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Mathew Kuttolamadom Texas A&M University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-3627-4885

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Dr. Mathew Kuttolamadom is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution and the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at Texas A&M University. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from Clemson University’s Int'l Center for Automotive Research. His professional experience is in the automotive industry including at the Ford Motor Company. At TAMU, he teaches Mechanics, Manufacturing and Mechanical Design to his students. His research thrusts include bioinspired functionally-graded composites, additive/subtractive manufacturing processes, laser surface texturing, tribology, visuo-haptic VR/AR interfaces and engineering education.

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Malini Natarajarathinam Texas A&M University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-1684-6476

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Dr. Malini Natarajarathinam joined the faculty of Industrial Distribution Program at Texas A&M University in 2007. Natarajarathinam received her Ph.D. in Supply Chain Management from The University of Alabama. She received her Bachelor of Engineering (Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering) from Anna University [Tamilnadu, India], her MS in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University, her MA in Management Science and MS in Applied Statistics from The University of Alabama. She has experience working with many industries such as automotive, chemical distribution etc. on transportation and operations management projects. She works extensively with food banks and food pantries on supply chain management and logistics focused initiatives. Her graduate and undergraduate students are integral part of her service-learning based logistics classes.

She teaches courses in strategic relationships among industrial distributors and distribution logistics. Her recent research focuses on engineering education and learning sciences with a focus on how to engage students better to prepare their minds for the future. Her other research interests include empirical studies to assess impact of good supply chain practices such as coordinated decision making in stochastic supply chains, handling supply chains during times of crisis and optimizing global supply chains on the financial health of a company. She has published her research in Journal of Business Logistics, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management and peer-reviewed proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education.

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Sharon Lynn Chu Texas A&M University

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Dr. Chu received her B.Soc.Sci (1st Class Honors) in Communication and New Media from the National University of Singapore, her MS in Computer Science & Applications and a graduate certifcate in Human-Computer Interaction from Virginia Tech, and her Ph.D in Human-Computer Interaction from Texas A&M University. She is the Director of the StoryLab@Texas A&M. The StoryLab conducts research in two main areas: cyberlearning and positive computing

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Francis Quek Texas A&M University

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Francis Quek is a Professor at Texas A&M University (Visualization, and Computer Science and Engineering and Psychology - by courtesy). He joined Texas A&M University as an interdisciplinary President’s Signature Hire to bridge disparities in STEM. Formerly he has been the Director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech. Francis received both his B.S.E. summa cum laude (1984) and M.S.E. (1984) in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan. He completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the same university in 1990. Francis is a member of the IEEE and ACM.
He performs research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), learning sciences and technology, embodied interaction, embodied learning, HCI for accessibility (especially for individuals with blindness), multimodal verbal/non-verbal interaction, multimodal meeting analysis, vision-based interaction, multimedia databases, medical imaging, assistive technology for the blind, human computer interaction, computer vision, and computer graphics. http://teilab.tamu.edu

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Abstract

The objective of this paper is to outline a new model for motivating STEM participation and developing self-efficacy among high-schoolers, and to detail the major implementation activities involved, preliminary impressions/results, impacts, and lessons learned. These insights gained during year-1 of a National Science Foundation-funded project, is now being applied to the full-scale deployment phase during year-2 of the project.

In this model titled, “Making as Micro-Manufacture (M3),” high-variability products in low-volumes were manufactured in real-world settings and for a real-life purpose. The model combined “Making” with engineering concerns attendant to manufacturing at micro scales (batch sizes of tens to hundreds) along with domain knowledge in elementary school science. Practice-based learning was implemented, in which a cohort of high school students from an underserved border community in Texas worked as autonomous Making-Production Teams (MPT) to manufacture instructional hands-on science kits for their own community’s elementary school classes. By working in a scenario simulating professional practice, the MPT members pragmatically integrated Making activities with aspects of scaling-up that involved process flow, time/motion study, production scheduling, inventory control, supply-chain management, and distribution. The eventual goal of this activity was for the MPT members to learn engineering concepts and develop a STEM self-concept that only such thick practice could provide.

Supported via distance mentoring and summer training workshops by Texas A&M University’s faculty and engineering technology undergraduate students, the model and approach was tested in a rural underserved border community with populations typically underrepresented in STEM. Evaluation mechanisms consisted of questionnaires and interviews with MPT and other key stakeholders, the high-schoolers’ diary reflections, documents/products/plans created, and video recordings of the MPT’s work sessions. Altogether, the preliminary results and evaluation, and the ensuing lessons learned helped shed light on aspects of implementation critical to the successful full-scale deployment of such self-sustainable MPT teams, both in developing themselves, as well as in serving and growing within their own close-knit communities.

Okundaye, O. J., & Kuttolamadom, M., & Natarajarathinam, M., & Chu, S. L., & Quek, F. (2018, June), Motivating STEM Participation through a 'Making as Micro-manufacture (M3)' Model Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30822

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