{"644330":{"#nid":"644330","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Introducing STEM and Industrial Engineering to the Next Generation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EAuthored by Taylor Hunter\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of industrial engineers,\u0026nbsp;providing\u0026nbsp;K-12\u0026nbsp;students with opportunities to explore STEM\u0026nbsp;fields by solving\u0026nbsp;real-world problems.\u0026nbsp;Young students\u0026nbsp;have a natural curiosity\u0026nbsp;about how the world works,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;in response,\u0026nbsp;ISyE\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;K-12\u0026nbsp;outreach program seeks to promote critical thinking\u0026nbsp;and confidence\u0026nbsp;in this age group.\u0026nbsp;Further,\u0026nbsp;ISyE is committed to promoting STEM education for\u0026nbsp;students\u0026nbsp;in underrepresented groups, including those in minority demographics or who have disabilities.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETuba Ketenci is an academic professional who\u0026nbsp;develops K-12 outreach programs\u0026nbsp;for ISyE. She facilitates programs that connect ISyE faculty with teachers and\u0026nbsp;students,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;develops teacher workshops that show them how to incorporate industrial engineering principles into their curriculum. She is especially focused on eliminating obstacles that students in underrepresented demographics\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;such as students\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;disabilities or who are BIPOC or female-identifying\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;may face in STEM education.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGlobally,\u0026nbsp;female\u0026nbsp;students\u0026nbsp;tend to go into STEM-related\u0026nbsp;careers\u0026nbsp;significantly\u0026nbsp;less than do their male peers.\u0026nbsp;And in general,\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;Studies show that\u0026nbsp;only 16% of\u0026nbsp;all\u0026nbsp;American high school seniors are interested in STEM careers,\u0026rdquo; Ketenci noted.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;This\u0026nbsp;is because they don\u0026rsquo;t feel confident in their STEM abilities, so it is our\u0026nbsp;responsibility\u0026nbsp;to assure them\u0026nbsp;that they are capable.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother goal\u0026nbsp;for Ketenci\u0026nbsp;is to show that\u0026nbsp;everyone deserves a place in STEM studies and careers, and that\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;ISyE\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;doors are open to\u0026nbsp;all.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Systemic racism and\u0026nbsp;the cultural\u0026nbsp;perception of a\u0026nbsp;\u0026lsquo;typical\u0026rsquo;\u0026nbsp;STEM student\u0026nbsp;discourage\u0026nbsp;many minority students from even trying computer programming or engineering,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;she\u0026nbsp;said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor that reason,\u0026nbsp;ISyE\u0026nbsp;is committed to recruiting at least half the participants\u0026nbsp;from underrepresented populations for its outreach activities, such as the\u0026nbsp;Seth Bonder Camp in Computational and Data Science\u0026nbsp;led by ISyE\u0026nbsp;A. Russell Chandler III Chair and Professor Pascal Van Hentenryck.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;After\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;Seth Bonder Camp, students\u0026nbsp;regularly\u0026nbsp;tell us that\u0026nbsp;learning how to code\u0026nbsp;wasn\u0026rsquo;t\u0026nbsp;as\u0026nbsp;difficult\u0026nbsp;as they thought it would be,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;that\u0026nbsp;it\u0026nbsp;is\u0026nbsp;something that they could do,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;said Ketenci.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;K-12\u0026nbsp;outreach program tries to\u0026nbsp;connect with students in multiple ways.\u0026nbsp;ISyE faculty\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;visited\u0026nbsp;grade and secondary\u0026nbsp;schools,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;the academic office has\u0026nbsp;invited\u0026nbsp;students to Georgia Tech for camps\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;presentations.\u0026nbsp;The experience of visiting\u0026nbsp;campus, attending\u0026nbsp;a class, and\u0026nbsp;having\u0026nbsp;lunch with an ISyE professor allows students to see what\u0026nbsp;ISyE\u0026nbsp;is\u0026nbsp;all\u0026nbsp;about.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;Covid-19\u0026nbsp;pandemic has introduced new challenges to\u0026nbsp;this\u0026nbsp;K-12\u0026nbsp;outreach.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Teachers are trying to teach online effectively, and their students are at home. It\u0026rsquo;s a very complicated environment for them,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;Ketenci\u0026nbsp;said.\u0026nbsp;The presence of family members, the absence of\u0026nbsp;an\u0026nbsp;adequate Wi-Fi connection, or\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;lack of\u0026nbsp;necessary\u0026nbsp;technology all create a difficult space\u0026nbsp;in which\u0026nbsp;to learn. During this time, engaging students with engineering pathways is more important than ever. These new obstacles bring about creative solutions,\u0026nbsp;something at which\u0026nbsp;Ketenci\u0026nbsp;excels.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs\u0026nbsp;classroom instruction\u0026nbsp;moves\u0026nbsp;online,\u0026nbsp;ISyE\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;outreach events also\u0026nbsp;use\u0026nbsp;online environments. Ketenci\u0026nbsp;has brought\u0026nbsp;together a group\u0026nbsp;that includes ISyE faculty members,\u0026nbsp;graduate\u0026nbsp;and undergraduate students, and professional industrial engineers. They\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;organizing\u0026nbsp;online sessions\u0026nbsp;demonstrating\u0026nbsp;how ISyE has everyday applications and can be incorporated\u0026nbsp;into various K-12 curriculums through lessons in health,\u0026nbsp;computer science, and even AP\u0026nbsp;statistics. Such lessons enable students to see themselves in a variety of STEM-related professions, regardless of their race, gender, or physical ability.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;To see even one student\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;especially if they\u0026rsquo;re from an underserved population\u0026nbsp;\u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;realize their potential as an engineer makes me more determined to find ways to bring these opportunities to as many students as possible,\u0026rdquo; Ketenci concluded.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026nbsp;ISyE\u0026nbsp;has inspired\u0026nbsp;critical thinking in K-12 students\u0026nbsp;through outreach programs that explore STEM fields via real-world problem solving activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u00a0ISyE\u00a0has inspired\u00a0critical thinking in K-12 students\u00a0through outreach programs that explore STEM fields via real-world problem solving activities."}],"uid":"35680","created_gmt":"2021-02-16 22:11:13","changed_gmt":"2021-02-17 14:47:20","author":"ehall46","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2021-02-16T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2021-02-16T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"644328":{"id":"644328","type":"image","title":"Tuba Ketenci","body":null,"created":"1613511508","gmt_created":"2021-02-16 21:38:28","changed":"1613511508","gmt_changed":"2021-02-16 21:38:28","alt":"Tuba Kentenci","file":{"fid":"244622","name":"Tuba_Kentenci Headshot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tuba_Kentenci%20Headshot_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tuba_Kentenci%20Headshot_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":603820,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tuba_Kentenci%20Headshot_0.jpg?itok=SewMIpXx"}}},"media_ids":["644328"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/sethbondercamp.isye.gatech.edu\/online-camp","title":"Seth Bonder Camp in Computational and Data Science for Engineering"}],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"179356","name":"Industrial Design"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3447","name":"K-12"},{"id":"167258","name":"STEM"},{"id":"426","name":"isye"},{"id":"183982","name":"outreach programs"},{"id":"411","name":"CEISMC"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:swundersmith3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EH. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}