Pre-college Outreach at a Technical Conference

A strong technical workforce is essential in a technology-based society. The selection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) electives and of related careers is influenced by familiarity with and perceptions of engineering. Pre-college students need significant opportunities to interact with engineering professionals and to investigate engineering careers. Also, pre-college teachers can gain insight into engineering through such experiences. Technical conferences attract professionals from industry and academia and showcase technologies. Hence, a conference venue can serve as an enriching environment for a pre-college program. Outreach activities for students and teachers were held at the IEEE GLOBECOM Conference. The participants interacted with conference attendees in selected conference activities and dedicated pre-college events. After the conference, the participants shared this experience at their schools. The assessment examined the effectiveness of the interactions and the appropriateness of selected conference activities. The approach can serve as a model for other conference-based outreach programs.