Outreach

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Our goal to inspire kids to go into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related fields, specifically engineering. We love showing kids what opportunities they have in store for their future, no matter who they are. Even if students do not want to follow in our footsteps to become engineers, we show them that you do not have to be an engineer to have an engineering skill set. Doctors, lawyers, mechanics, and even teachers have engineering skill sets. All four of these professions come up with ideas on how to approach certain situations to get the best result. That can be either diagnosing a patient or explaining to a child what 2+2 equals. We want to be able to be role models to these kids and give them ideas of what they want to do in the future!

What we offer

The Outreach Committee offers two fantastic programs for K-12 schools. Engineering on Wheels and the ChemE Mentorship.

Engineering on Wheels

Engineering on Wheels is a program Purdue AIChE started in Spring of 2020. This new program has already reached out to 10 schools and we are still looking to expand our network. With this program, Purdue AIChE members go to K-12 schools to teach kids of all ages, aspects of chemical engineering and what chemical engineering is. We have multiple experiments covering everything from the principle of separations to testing the air quality in a community. Purdue AIChE is always excited to work with new schools and we are ready to inspire the next generation of engineers!

An Example

Hydrophobic vs Hydrophilic - a simple activity that explores the concept of hydrophilic (water - loving) and hydrophobic (water - fearing) molecules, and the role it plays in mixtures. The concept of density will also be covered, as seen in the effects of oil in a lava lamp floating to a higher elevation than the water, which is denser and stays on the bottom.

K-12 Mentorship

As we mentioned above, Purdue AIChE wants to be an inspiration to K-12 students to go into the STEM related fields. We have extended that passion even further with developing a mentorship program. This program is available for 8th to 10th graders.

What the mentorship consists of

Every single month our mentors and mentees will meet up either virtually via zoom meeting or in-person and participate in an activity. Afterwards, the mentors with their mentees will meet individually to discuss the chemical engineering aspects and applications of the activity. First the mentees would analyze this experiment and talk it through and bounce off ideas from the other mentees and the mentor. Once this session is done, everyone would return to look at an in-depth explanation of what the activity entailed and all the chemistry and chemical engineering aspects behind it. The mentors will also meet with their mentees individually to talk about college readiness and what the students are interested in career wise. Emailing will also be regular between the mentors and the mentees, where the mentees can ask any questions about college, STEM, and or engineering.

How the mentorship starts

First step

Three weeks before mentorship the Outreach committee does a presentation to the students about what is engineering. We do this to initially get the kids interested in a career in engineering. Once this presentation is done, signups are then posted.

Second Step

In these three weeks an activity is done to give the students a better and clearer idea of what is engineering. This activity will be determined between the teacher and the current Outreach Committee Head. The activity can be based on what is being taught currently via the curriculum or can be something completely abstract.

Third Step

After these three weeks are passed, we start the mentorship with a greetings email. The number of mentees accepted into this program is dependent on how many mentors are signed up, but how we pick mentees is a first come first serve basis. This program is completely free, no charges whatsoever.