Moving 4th Into Engineering
Who can make their compound the fastest?
Each spring, the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES) hosts Moving 4th
Into Engineering, an engineering outreach event. Approximately 30 fourth-grade students
from various Pittsburgh area schools are invited to visit Carnegie Mellon's campus and
participate in a full day of engineering activities. This program provides the students with
an interactive introduction to the exciting world of engineering. Through various experiments
and exercises, students learn how engineering plays a part in many of the ordinary things they
see every day. Moving 4th aims to inspire young students to seek out future studies in math,
science and engineering. A diverse group of ICES faculty, staff and student volunteers lead
the program and work with the children throughout the day.
Moving 4th Into Engineering is made possible by the collaborative efforts of the College of
Engineering, Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES), the departments of Civil and
Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering, the Center for
University Outreach and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance (PITA).
For more information, please contact Alicia Brown at (412) 268-3372 or via e-mail at adbrown@andrew.cmu.edu.
This program exposes young students to hands-on engineering activities
geared toward their age group. Approximately 30 students will visit Carnegie
Mellon's campus and spend a full day participating in fun and educational experiments.
This early exposure to the world of engineering aims to excite young students about
science and math and makes them more likely to pursue technical courses throughout
their education. Many times, this program serves as an introduction to these concepts
and enlightens children who may not have otherwise sought out such educational opportunities.
It is important that the university shares its educational resources with the local community,
to support and foster the education of young students who may otherwise see the institution
as a place that only serves economically advantaged populations.
To carry out this program, ICES staff will continue to strengthen relationships with
Pittsburgh City Schools, inviting educators to choose students who may participate.
Those students will spend a day on campus participating in fun and educational engineering
and science activities. Programs like this are visibly enriching to the education of young
students, and are extremely well received by students, educators, and parents. This is evident
by the phone calls and thank you messages that we receive in the weeks following the program.
For over eight years, ICES has conducted Moving 4th Into Engineering. This program has proved
to be so successful that this past year, we had parents contacting the university to find out
how their child could participate.
We are currently working with corporate sponsors who will donate funds to assist with these
programs. Emerson has agreed to commit funds towards the project. Outreach indirectly supports
the ICES and PITA goals by fostering young students at an early age, which in the long run,
enhances the education and economic future of our region.