Additional information
by Denny Davis (Author)
"Is engineering for me? Do I think, act, and look like an engineer? How do engineers approach problems like this?" Young men and women dreaming about being an engineer have many questions and doubts that engineering is for them. Young students who are curious about engineering need an engineering project experience that gives them an accurate picture of engineering while also exercising their abilities to do engineering. They need relevant "engineering" projects to challenge and motivate them, as well as resources to help them understand what to do and be successful. Unsuccessful or dissatisfying projects can cause students to doubt that they are cut out for engineering or that engineering is right for them. Without adequate support, students are set up to fail and reject engineering as a career choice.This book demonstrates to students that they can walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk of engineering. It provides content to learn the language of engineering while using engineering methods to address project challenges. The book is intended for student teams in their first significant "engineering" project. As teams discuss lessons, they build community, develop common language, and discover how to use engineering methods. Together they learn to do engineering and begin thinking like engineers. They accurately assess their potential to become engineers.If you teach a pre-engineering projects course in high school or first-year college, this book can help your students be successful in their projects. If you coach a high school robotics team, the book will help and encourage your team as they design and build their robots. If your teams have students of different grade levels or familiarities with engineering, this book will help with level-appropriate material for everyone.This book builds on experience using the Pre-Engineering Primer, first edition with a high school FIRST(R) FTC robotics team. This second edition has several improvements, including level-appropriate discussion questions and answers to all questions. It also provides a chapter on engineering careers and education choices. Students using this book are supported for success as they engage in "engineering" projects.
