IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008 - 43

the model of education that was develknows how to run an operation. She's a
oped more than 100 years ago to continuterrific role model to women teachers
ously try to educate children in the 21st
and students, and students of color. And
century and it's not working. We know it's
she's passionate about the cause."
not working. Children are not sucThe goal is that by 2015, every
ceeding, and we know where
state will be teaching engithey're not succeeding. But
neering as part of the K-12
The goal
we're like little rats on a
curriculum. To that end,
wheel and we keep
Spicer travels around
is that by 2015,
doing the same thing."
the country, giving
every state will be
far, 39 states
speeches and presenteaching engineering haveSobeen
convinced
tations on the NCTL's
as part of the K-12
to include engineering
work, visiting schools
curriculum.
as part of their curricuto see education in
la, and Spicer continues
action and helping to
to push for policy changes,
train teachers on how to
revisions of standards, and colintroduce engineering into the
laborations that will ensure students
classroom. She'd like to see what she
understand the world of hand pollinacalls a "paradigm shift" in the coming
tors, windmills, planes, and bridges as
years, a radical change in which our eduwell as they do the animals, rocks, and
cation system would focus more on
plants of the natural world.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

in the sixth grade, who "told me about
African-American scientists. I'd never
heard about these people. He explained to
me that we came from a rich cultural
heritage of inventors and people who
contributed to our country by the inventions that they made or scientific discovery. I was fascinated by that."
After attending Brooklyn Technical
High School in New York, she was
offered a scholarship to the State University of New York at Oswego, graduating
with a bachelor's degree in industrial arts
and a master's in technology education.
She earned a doctorate in educational
administration from the University of
Massachusetts, Boston, in 2004.
By that time, Spicer was serving as
the first female director of career and
technical education programs for Newton, Massachusetts, public schools and
had worked with the Massachusetts Department of
Education to revise the science, technology, and engineering
curriculum
standards. It was during
this revision process that
she first met Ioannis (Yannis) Miaoulis, then the
dean of Tufts University's
School of Engineering,
who was leading the efforts
to introduce engineering
into the Massachusetts
K-12 curriculum.

Business, Education,
Everybody Working
Together

"I always knew that no matter what I did, I always
would have to be doing
something that benefits
children," says Spicer.
"Whether I'm speaking at a
conference of 1,000 people
or speaking at a small business roundtable of 15 people, I'm trying to make
them get engaged, get
involved. Because it's not
A Terrific Role Model
just the NCTL's issue; it's
In 2003, Miaoulis took over Using the Engineering is Elementary storybook, Javier Buids a
Bridge, students created a prototype of a suspension bridge during
business, education, everyas president and director of an activity designed to introduce them to civil engineering.
body working together on
the Museum of Science,
depth than coverage, more on underthis initiative to help children underBoston, and the following year, when he
standing than the amount of time stustand math, science, technology, and
was putting together a team for the new
dents spend at their desks.
engineering better. It's powerful work,
NCTL, he thought of Spicer. "She com"In this country, we have tremendous
and to be a part of it is very rewarding. I
bines a number of things that are essenvalue for logical, sequential learning, and
wake up every morning excited about
tial," he says. "She's very knowledgeable
the child that can learn logically and
what's next, and I can only see it getting
about the content of technology and
sequentially and pass the test is rewarded.
richer, more full, and more exciting. It's
engineering at the K-12 levels. She was
The child that is a much more kinesthetic
awesome."
also a teacher, so she's familiar with all
learner, like myself, will start to glaze
-Heather Wax is a freelance writer
the challenges teachers face in the classover," says Spicer. "We have been using
living in Brookline, Massachusetts.
room. She's been an administrator, so she

SUMMER 2008

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008