(230f) Process Technology Summer Institutes for K-12 and Community College Educators and Students

Summer institutes and workshops were conducted in 2005 through 2008 for high school students and K-12 and community college educators as part of recruiting strategies to bring people into chemical and paper technology and engineering degrees and industries. The institutes and workshops were conducted through a partnership between Auburn University, Alabama Southern Community College (Thomasville AL), and Lower Columbia College (Longview WA). Faculty and industry partners from these institutions developed and delivered the workshops as part of the National Network for Pulp and Paper Technology Training (npt)2, a National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education Center.

This talk will focus particularly on the importance of where the institutes and workshops are held as to their effectiveness and recruiting potential. The summer institutes are generally held on community college or university campuses to allow access to laboratory facilities and classrooms. In 2007 and 2008, pilot workshops were also held at off-campus sites that were near industrial regions. Summer institutes and workshops held on the college campuses included large pilot-scale experiments conducted in technology training or engineering laboratory facilities and small-scale experiments that can be integrated into the classroom. The talk will address effectiveness of the workshops comparing assessments and best practices of those on and off campus, as well as compare the number and demographics of the applicants and participants.