An engineering design summer camp for a diverse group of high school students

Engineering design is fundamental to all areas of engineering education. It takes shape as project-based learning. As a facts-based approach becomes integrated with a hands-on, learning-to-solve-problems approach, engineering design is a perfect vehicle for this integration. TIDEE (Transferable Integrated Design in Engineering Education) is an NSF grant involving Washington State University, the University of Washington, Tacoma Community College, and the Washington Council for Engineering and Related Technical Education (WCERTE). TIDEE aims to establish a flexible engineering design structure, prepare faculty to use and develop new engineering design materials, and increase the diversity of engineering enrollment. The TIDEE summer science camp is funded by both the NSF (National Science Foundation), as part of the TIDEE coalition, and the Boeing Company. The camp is funded for four annual summer sessions. The TIDEE summer science camp introduces a group of high school students to engineering design. The TIDEE camp works well. The team-based, cooperative, hands-on activities appeal to the campers. The activities are planned for success in a safe supportive environment. Teaching assistants, graduate students, instructors, and professors are good role models in engineering, tours expand their career horizons and campers acquire competencies in all aspects of engineering design. The awards banquet brings campers and their families together to understand and appreciate what is gained from the TIDEE camp.