Make the World a better place: An association-industry-academia partnership

This paper presents details of a program initiated by the IEEE Central Texas Section Education Society Chapter to stimulate passion among high school students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and to increase the participation of girls in STEM fields. The program includes participants from professional associations, industry, and academia. We describe the elements of this program (including the use of a fabrication lab or makerspace, mentoring, outreach events, curriculum design, metrics, and a replication handbook), the benefits to and contributions of each of the participants (the IEEE Central Texas Section, Tech Shop, Dripping Springs High School, and Texas State University), and the near-term and long-term objectives.