Signal Processing - May 2017 - 75

breadboarding system and wiring
techniques, explanations on the solderless breadboard and system parts
layout, a description of interconnect
and wiring techniques, and system
wiring. For the second day, the lecture
revolves around concepts of data processing and collection, application
program high-level flow chart, introduction to application modules and
coding, and system troubleshooting
and operation. The practice consists
of continuation of system wiring, applying power (the strobe test), troubleshooting and verifying basic
system operation, and adding one or
more system extensions as time permits. Figure 2(b) shows the final device with the different components.
In addition to the strictly academic
activities, students are also exposed to
campus life and a variety of extracurricular events, for example, meeting with
engineering admissions staff and having
lunch with engineers working in university laboratories and industry. On the last
day of the camp, there is a showcase of
built devices and experimental results
from the different activities (see
Figure 3), and a panel of judges decide
on different awards that are given during
a closing ceremony.
Data were collected from 38 students
over a two-year period (2012-2013); this
was done after the researchers improved
the previous instruments to collect more
nuanced data on the students' engineering knowledge and attitudes. Students
significantly improved their knowledge
of electrical and computer engineering
principles and processes as measured by
pre/postassessments; this outcome was
observed for both female and male participants. Students' confidence in performing engineering tasks also significantly
improved as a result of their participation, although motivation for engineering
careers did not change (likely due to selfselection for the camp) [70]. Qualitative
data revealed students felt empowered by
making connections between engineering
principles and their personal experiences
and interests, as well as optimizing and
improving functionality of their designs.
Survey responses indicated students
particularly enjoyed meeting with

university researchers and industrial
engineers. These interactions helped students strengthen their engineering selfidentity and envision themselves in
engineering occupations in the future
[71]. The camp activities were modified
over several years and serve as the
test bed for our other initiatives with
expanded outreach to students and science teachers.

After-school engineering offerings
The after-school engineering program
was developed with local school districts to inspire high school students in
grades 9-11 with the opportunities and
rewards of participating in engineering.
It was piloted in the fall of 2015 and is
mostly an off-campus program hosted
by local schools with at least a one-time
campus visit per student group. It consists of several out-of-school offerings
(of about two and a half hours each)
spread throughout the academic year for
at least 24 hours of exposure to engineering disciplines as well as computer
science, with an emphasis on the processing of signals and data related to
different technological problems. The
activities combine exploration of theoretical concepts with hands-on practice.
Approximately 72 students have benefited from these preliminary offerings
with nearly half of the attendees identified as female students. Moreover, in

these first offerings, all students attended schools in high needs districts. Qualitative and quantitative data were
collected to measure student impacts.
Our preliminary research showed that
students were enthusiastic about learning about engineering and programming
to design solutions, and they were more
motivated to pursue engineering after
participating in the program. However, they did note that they were generally dissatisfied with school counseling
on engineering study and careers-a
finding that confirms our recent efforts
[72], [73]. In the future, we will train
K-12 science teachers to incorporate the
activities in their curricula.
The activities are continuously
reviewed and adapted according to
state-standardized curricula and feedback from teachers and students. Figure 4 displays students engaged during
the 2015 offerings. We briefly describe
three activities as examples of our
efforts: persistence of vision clock, discovering the radio, and a night-light.
We note that, due to the time constraints at each school visit, one activity is usually spread out across more
than one day.

Persistence of vision clock
In this activity, students learn how our
vision is somewhat deceptive, and many
types of visual displays take advantage

Figure 3. The 2013 Engineering Summer Camp for high school students at SBU. Students participate in the engineering exhibition and competition at the closing ceremony.

IEEE Signal Processing Magazine

May 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signal Processing - May 2017