The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering is pleased to offer programs and resources to connect K-12 students and programs with engineering and STEM learning opportunities.
Project Based Learning (PBL) in Rural Schools
PBL in Rural Schools trains cohorts of CU students on instructional techniques and air and soil quality technology, then sends them out to rural classrooms across Colorado to work with middle and high school students on air and soil quality experiments. The CU students and K-12 school teachers commit to participating for a full year, with CU students traveling to schools four times. The program currently reaches over 600 middle and high school students each year and is always looking for new partner schools. For more details, contact daniel.knight@colorado.edu.
Triple E Fair
The department works with STEM Launch to facilitate engineering activities in 7th grade classrooms and to bring students to the CU Boulder campus each spring for an immersive engineering experience. The middle school students participate in activities led by current CU students and faculty to explore areas of engineering research, including biomechanics, robotics, material science, air quality and more. CU students interested in volunteering and K12 teachers interested in having their students participate in the Triple E Fair can reach out to austin.hayes@colorado.edu.
Other K-12 and Community Outreach Activities
Students and faculty from the department participate in additional outreach activities throughout the year, including hosting K12 students on campus for lab tours, participating in one-day events through local community organizations, working with CU Science Discovery, and participating in classroom visits and science fair judging.
If you have any questions concerning schools, other community programs, or faculty/students interested in being involved, please contact Vera Sebulsky at vera.sebulsky@colorado.edu.
