Collective Impact Fall 2023

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Fall 2023

Collective Impact K-12 Outreach Report


Collective Impact (June 2022 - July 2023) Number of reported programs per county. 29+ 22-28 15-21 8-14 1-7

Based on reporting from eighteen departments across campus, Georgia Tech’s K-12 efforts serve over 63% of Georgia’s counties. Programs or partnerships exist in 101 of 159 counties.


More than 68,000 K-12 students have engaged in outreach and extracurricular programs across Georgia Tech in Atlanta and Savannah.

665

665 Georgia Tech faculty and staff have been involved in K-12 outreach. outreach

2,230 K-12 teachers have participated in programs.

1,055

2,230

1,055 Georgia Tech undergraduate and graduate students have served as facilitators.

More than 16,300 hours of teacher professional development have been provided.

200+

68,000+

16,300+

More than 200 Georgia schools have been impacted by Georgia Tech K-12 programs.

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Welcome We are pleased to share with you the inaugural issue of Georgia Tech’s Collective Impact K-12 Outreach Report, highlighting a sampling of the many collaborative efforts occurring across campus to inspire and empower the next generation of innovators. As a leading institution in research, innovation, and education in STEM, helping to educate the state’s youth is an important strategic priority. Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students are collaborating with community partners – schools, organizations, education groups, state agencies, industry, and other stakeholders – in various ways. We cannot capture the full breadth and depth of everything we do in a short form publication but want to give you a snapshot of the many opportunities ranging from on-campus high school internships and summer enrichment camps to free hands-on educational programs and inschool engagements. For some history, in 2017, the Office of the Provost convened the first K-12 Summit with the goal of bringing together faculty and staff working in the pre-collegiate sphere to discuss the Institute’s role in K-12 and the associated challenges and opportunities. A key takeaway was that while our efforts were substantial, they were disjointed; different campus units were not aware of the massive number of outreach programs occurring. As a result, the K-12 STEM Outreach Group, organized by the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), was created to connect everyone engaged in K-12 programming and bring them together regularly to share ideas and network for future collaborations. The vision and goals of the K-12 STEM Outreach Group is to build upon the innovation and collaboration of our faculty, staff, and students who provide valuable STEM opportunities locally and statewide. Through this group, we have hosted reoccurring meetings, continued hosting the K-12 Summit, published the K-12 Connections newsletter, created a STEM directory, organized the K-12 Lunch and Learn series, and most recently shared schools’ STEM assistance requests with Tech partners through an online newsletter – Amplify Outreach. We hope this report, which will be published every two years, can be used as a resource for others looking to integrate K-12 outreach into their own programs. As I move into my fifth year as Program Director for Campus and Community Coordination at CEISMC, it is my hope to continue building bridges campuswide and further grow the visibility of Georgia Tech’s K-12 outreach community so we can advance the quality of our programs and initiatives to expand access and enhance our collective impact on students in Georgia. Thank you for your continued support and collaboration. Sincerely,

For Tech faculty and staff interested in joining the K-12 STEM Outreach Group, please email k12stem@gatech.edu. Heidi Turcotte

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Acoustic Water Tank Laboratory & CEISMC hosted underwater robotics training The Acoustic Water Tank Laboratory in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) partnered last fall with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation to host a professional development underwater robotics training on campus. The marine technology educator workshop provided participating teachers from across the country with the skills and experiences they need to incorporate marine technology and engineering topics into their classrooms. “We are always looking to partner with stakeholders to further engage the community,” said CEISMC Program Director for Campus and Community Coordination Heidi Turcotte. “This workshop allowed us to also collaborate with the Georgia Tech research community to help expand access and amplify impact.” Jody Patterson, Chapter Director of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, kicked off the two-day training with an in-depth review of simple circuits, switches, and soldering of electrical component parts and circuit boards. Each participant then built a submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and tested it in the Acoustic Water Tank, a 40’ long, 21’ wide, and 24’ deep tank. “The ROV building workshop gave us the opportunity to diversify our activities and use the water tank for educational purposes, a key part of the Acoustic Water Tank’s mission,” said François Guillot, senior research engineer in the Woodruff School, who was on hand to assist with the test piloting. Teachers left the workshop with the knowledge to help prepare student teams for the Gray’s Reef Southeast MATE ROV Competition and received ROV kits for their students, courtesy of a grant from the Honda USA Foundation. Horizons @ Georgia Tech

Masters of Science

K-12 Summer Programs During the summer, Horizons at Georgia Tech gives students from Centennial Academy, Drew Charter, and Hollis Innovation Academy experiences that build problem-solving skills, foster awareness of community responsibility, instill respect for oneself and others, teach scholars how to swim, and encourage a life-long interest in learning. The Masters of Science, one of many CEISMC Summer P.E.A.K.S. programs, is an experience where middle school students make contact with exciting, exceptional, and highly-relevant activities focused on matter, energy, and their interactions! As a part of the Georgia Tech Robotics Summer Institute, another session from Summer P.E.A.K.S., high school robotics enthusiasts collaborate and strategize to traverse a customized racetrack with an autonomously controlled robot, and receive mentorship from Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering faculty and students.

Robotics Summer Institute

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High school students can explore a plethora of campus-based STEM internships Project ENGAGES Supported by Georgia Tech’s Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Project ENGAGES (Engaging New Generations at Georgia Tech through Engineering & Science) is a paid yearlong internship program for 11th and 12th grade students from seven minority-serving public high schools in Atlanta. During the summer, the students take part in a full-time experience where they participate in practical research projects led by Georgia Tech researchers, industry visits, and other professional development. Their roles shift to a part-time basis once the school year begins. The program started with ten students during its first year in 2013 and now has over 160 participants. “Although research is a huge part of the program, we are also training students to be outstanding citizens of society,” said Lakeita Servance, educational outreach manager at the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, who manages the program. “As a result, we provide them with enrichment activities, professional development and life coaching. These are all necessities that individuals, particularly young people, require outside of research to be better prepared for their future.” Learn more: https://projectengages.gatech.edu

R.E.A.L. (Research, Experiment, Analyze, Learn) The R.E.A.L. (Research, Experiment, Analyze, Learn) program, an initiative of the Georgia Intern-Fellowship for Teachers (GIFT) program under the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing, is a five-week summer program for high school students from underrepresented populations in STEM education. R.E.A.L. students, identified and invited by their respective teachers who are selected for the GIFT program, conduct research in various university laboratories alongside their teachers. Students also attend “Brown Bag” sessions, where they learn about the admissions process and the college experience from the Office of Undergraduate Admission and Tech lecturers and researchers. Since R.E.A.L.’s inception in 2004, there have been 481 participants. “This opportunity is important to students because of the exposure to STEM careers, connections, and networks with professionals in those areas,” said GIFT Program Director Bonnie Harris. “It also inspires them to consider different career options and exposes them to college life, especially for firstgeneration college students.” Learn more: https://ceismc.gatech.edu/gift/real

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GTRI High School Summer Internship The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) provides fiveweek paid summer internships to high school students who are at least 16 years old, where they can participate in projects in GTRI laboratories. Student interns at GTRI gain hands-on experience in STEM fields through workplace orientation, lab tours, training, and regular interactions with GTRI researchers and Tech graduate and undergraduate students, with the purpose of bridging the STEM employment gap in Georgia by raising awareness of STEM career options. The program has impacted approximately 557 high school interns over the past decade. “It’s important to ensure that we provide students with not only an educational experience but a handson experience so that they will be able to understand where their strengths are and gain a vision for what they can contribute to humanity,” said Principal Research Engineer Erick Maxwell, who serves as program codirector. “The internship program is also essential because high school students have the opportunity to work in a professional lab environment,” added Senior Research Associate Therese Boston, who is the other co-director. “They have access to all the resources GTRI has to offer and they are exposed to research fields they may not have considered as viable career options in STEM.” Learn more: https://www.gtri.gatech.edu/stem/highschool-summer-internship

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Tech offers family programs that make STEM learning fun Exploring the World of Paper Science The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking (interior shown on the right), melds art, history, technology, and industry from historical and global perspectives with its most comprehensive collection of paper and paperrelated artifacts in the world. Since finding its home at Georgia Tech in 2003, the museum has offered tours to the public, serving as one of the primary ways that museum staff connect with K-12 audiences. School programs are age-appropriate and linked to the Georgia Performance Standards. “We get many families who just come in and walk through the museum, which is free of charge,” said Education Curator Anna Doll. “Our most popular program, though, is our Paperworks Program, which is a paid 45-minute museum tour and a 45-minute papermaking experience.” The Paperworks tour covers the history of papermaking, from pre-paper to introduction of paper, to its transition to European papermaking. The museum also offers guided tours focusing on the industrialization of paper production, and a tour that combines portions of Paperworks and a tour of the museum’s current special exhibit, which changes three times per year. Virtual tours offer Paperworks, Paper Technology, and a Behind the Scenes look at the museum’s collection not on display. “We’re educating students about the history of paper, its relationship to their lives, and its future in their lives,” Doll explained. “Growing that knowledge and love of paper, and getting students interested when they are young is important, so they understand that this is a medium that has many different applications in society. You can become a scientist or artist in this field that touches our lives every day.” Learn more: https://paper.gatech.edu Teacher resources: https://paper.gatech.edu/teachers-handbook


Digging into the Past Fossil Fridays, which started in 2014 as a hands-on community activity, also serves as a much-needed solution to help researchers in Jenny McGuire’s Spatial Ecology & Paleontology Lab at Georgia Tech sift through a ton of dirt pulled from the Natural Trap Cave in Wyoming (shown on the right). “We are interested in ‘citizen science’ and making sure our community knows what we are working on and feels included,” said graduate research assistant and Ph.D. candidate Julia Schap, one of the hosts of Fossil Fridays. “We don’t like this idea that science happens behind closed doors.” The lab uses fossils in various research areas. Schap studies fossils of small mammals to find out how these species were affected by climate at different periods of history. Her findings are useful for current conservation efforts. During a typical two-hour session, Schap likes to play movie soundtracks in the background to help fossil hunters unwind. “I sometimes play the Jurassic Park soundtrack to really help everyone get in the mood and to feel like they’re doing really important work—because they are.” Learn more: https://www.mcguire.gatech.edu/outreach/

Stargazing during Night and Day Since 2007, the Georgia Tech Observatory has hosted monthly Public Nights, providing a perfect opportunity for more than 1,500 visitors per year to see the moon and other astronomical objects. In recent years, five telescopes are relocated to the campus grounds between the Howie Physics Building and the Jesse W. Mason Building (civil engineering) in order to accommodate a growing audience on Public Nights. Members of the Georgia Tech Astronomy Club also assist. “People are having a great time, bringing their children, and sometimes high school students come as a group to attend the event,” said Astronomer and Observatory Director Jim Sowell. “Groups of at least 30 people can also schedule a visit to the observatory in advance by contacting me. This is open to the public and Georgia Tech community.” Another way the Georgia Tech Observatory reaches the masses is through its K–12 outreach program utilizing the Aloha Telescope, an educational partnership with the U.S. Air Force on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The telescope, which uses a video camera to show live views of the moon, Jupiter, or Saturn during school hours, is a unique approach to teaching astronomy in classrooms all over the world. Teachers and students can attend online live observations through Direct to Discovery (D2D) sessions, provided by STEM@GTRI, Georgia Tech Research Institute’s K-12 outreach program. “In the first year, we interacted with 4,400 students and 120 teachers in 50 schools in some very rural parts of Georgia,” said Sowell. “I hope that the numbers increase, giving teachers throughout Georgia more access to these opportunities now that the Georgia Department of Education is aware of our efforts and has helped spread the word to all school systems.” Learn more: https://astronomy.gatech.edu/

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Tech service-oriented units engage public through focused efforts on community building and STEM career awareness Georgia Tech Police Department Already well-known across campus for its communitybuilding events such as Coffee with a Cop and Campus Safety Day, the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) also provides educational outreach opportunities for K-12 students. “We have partnered with Centennial Academy, a K-8 school in Atlanta, for the Everybody Wins Atlanta program, which identifies students with reading or literacy deficiencies. We read one-on-one with students to build their vocabulary and literacy skills,” explained Sgt. Jessica Howard, who serves as the community outreach and engagement liaison for GTPD. “We also support shelters that house children by visiting with them to celebrate special occasions and holidays and we participate in mystery reader events for young students.” During the summer, GTPD offers a forensic science camp for high school students as they start thinking more seriously about their careers. They gain a preview into the field through hands-on activities such as fingerprinting, footprint casting and bloodstain pattern analysis. Once the department moved into its new building at the corner of Hemphill Avenue and 10th Street in 2019, the space, which includes a forensics lab, allowed for the possibility of multi-day camps. Beyond the educational aspects of outreach, Howard said that establishing community connections is vital for GTPD. “We are in and around some communities and neighborhoods that aren’t always fortunate to have a police presence on the friendly side,” she said. “Just being able to be or create some type of positive impact for people to see is crucial.” Learn more: https://police.gatech.edu Follow @gatechPD on Facebook, Instagram, and X

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Infrastructure and Sustainability Georgia Tech’s Infrastructure and Sustainability (I&S) is responsible for leading the Institute’s campus sustainability plans of its more than 400 acres in midtown Atlanta as well as the designing, planning, and operations of the campus infrastructure. When Maria Cimilluca, the inaugural vice president for I&S arrived at Georgia Tech last year, she was eager to create a partnership between the unit and Atlanta Public Schools (APS). Cimilluca asked I&S Programs and Operations Manager Cheryl Kelley to coordinate the effort. After reaching out to Tech’s Director of Community Relations, Chris Burke, and Georgia Tech Human Resources, Kelley was connected to administrators and educators at nearby APS schools and began to forge relationships. “That was our beginning, and that was how I learned how to cultivate and foster relationships between our department and the schools, meeting with the right people and learning about the schools’ needs.” As a result, Kelley and her I&S colleagues attended two high school career fairs last spring where the focus was reaching those students who sought career-ready opportunities. They talked about jobs at Georgia Tech that did not require college degrees and the benefits of working at Tech, including tuition reimbursement should students choose to pursue post-secondary education in the future. Kelley and her colleagues have big plans for expanding their outreach footprint. Along with organizing campus visits in which students can see Georgia Tech’s trades in action, Kelley hopes they will be able to develop an on-campus apprenticeship program in collaboration with Georgia Tech Human Resources. “For example, as Georgia Tech’s building operations are getting smarter from advanced technologies, the workforce managing and maintaining these infrastructures are dwindling,” she noted. “Our partnership with APS schools and the work we do outside of the classrooms are especially important in helping support the local community’s growth and help develop professionals in the facilities management industry.” Learn more: https://facilities.gatech.edu

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Thank you to the following programs for providing data and information for the Georgia Tech Collective Impact K-12 Outreach Report: Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering • GOT Space • GT AE Outreach • Space Day Atlanta

George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering

• Acoustic Water Tank Laboratory Georgia Tech Police Department Georgia Tech Research Institute • CyberStart America in Georgia • Direct to Discovery • Rural Computer Science Initiative • STEM@GTRI High School Summer Internship Program • STEM@GTRI Professional Learning H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering • ISYE VISITS • Math Teacher Professional Development • Probability and Statistics High School Competition Horizons at Georgia Tech Infrastructure & Sustainability Institute for Electronics & Nanotechnology • GT Science and Engineering Day • Introduction to Nanotechnology Kendeda Building for Sustainable Design • Kendeda Building Tours Program Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience • Engaging New Generations at Georgia Tech through Engineering and Science (ENGAGES) Renewable Bioproducts Institute • Paperworks Program, Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking • Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking Outreach - GT Science and Engineering Day • Young Masters Homeschool Workshops, Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking School of Biological Sciences • Fossil Fridays • The Mold That Changed the World Outreach School of Civil and Environmental Engineering • Water-safety Education & training for High school, Undergraduate, & Graduate students (WE-HUG) School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences School of Mathematics • Distance Math Program • High School Math Day • SIMIODE Challenge Using Differential Equations Modeling VII School of Modern Languages • Introducing Linguistics to Atlanta High School Students School of Physics • Live Views of Celestial Objects with The Aloha Telescope Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering • BME HealthReach

Design: Angelica Jones (CEISMC) Editorial: Angelica Jones, Amanda Smith, Joëlle Walls (CEISMC), and Ashley Ritchie (Mechanical Engineering) Photos courtesy of Georgia Tech. Copyright © 2023 Georgia Institute of Technology


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