An EPICS Undertaking The Mosby Heritage Area Association would like interactive exhibits or a working model of the Aldie Mill to help visitors understand how the mill works. Foxcroft is considering converting the security kiosk at the front gate to solar power. A local therapeutic riding program could use a better device for getting disabled children onto their horses. These are the kinds of challenges that students in the Explorations in Engineering class might tackle through the EPICS High program introduced this fall. Engineering made its debut in the curriculum last spring with a bridge-building challenge.
EPICS — Engineering Projects in Community Service — is a designbased, service learning program that gets teams of students to provide engineering solutions for non-profit organizations in the local community. Founded at Purdue University in 1995 and expanded to secondary schools in 2006, EPICS programs have been established at 20 universities and 50 high schools. At Foxcroft, girls can pursue their personal passion for “Giving Back” while they learn and implement the engineering design process from start to finish. Presentation skills, creative problem solving, teamwork, perseverance, and responsiveness will be needed along the way. “This is not just for girls interested in engineering,” says Dr. Maria Eagen, Science Department Chair, who has
Fall 2011
16 girls in the fall class. “The EPICS High curriculum is designed for students of all interests and abilities, including those with strong writing or interpersonal skills as well as those with analytical, math, science, and mechanical aptitude. At Purdue, the EPICS class is offered in all majors, not just engineering.” Once projects are selected and teams formed, each Foxcroft group will work directly with its non-profit partners to establish a project charter, timelines, and deliverables. Dr. Eagen expects students to interact the way professionals do when dealing with customers, including providing weekly progress memos, developing and testing prototypes, participating in design reviews, and providing User’s Manuals. The relationships established with local non-profits or
School departments will be long-term, with future students maintaining and upgrading projects as needed. Dr. Eagen, who joined the Foxcroft faculty in 2010, is an aerospace engineer who has a PhD in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research. She has designed satellite constellation orbits and launch techniques as well as launched rockets from the Cape Canaveral mission control room that was used for the Gemini and Apollo space missions. As much as she loves engineering, Eagen says, teaching is even better. “I’m really excited about this program,” she says, with a big smile, “and so are the students.” Q — Cathrine Wolf
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