Educational Outreach Programs
Each educational outreach program to improve educational outcomes for children has unique circumstances but most tend to fall into one of the following categories. NOTE: List of examples for each program type is NOT exhaustive but is representative of the ongoing programs conducted by Carnegie Mellon faculty, staff and students. In addition, many programs listed below are not AVPEO initiatives and inquiries should be directed through the link provided.
- Apprenticeship programs that enable students to attend multiple sessions during the academic year to learn about a field of study.
- Engineering@CMU conducted by the Civil and Environmental Engineering department in collaboration with the Allegheny Intermediate Unit
- Auditorium-style presentations conducted in schools or at community centers.
- Competitions held on campus that allow sudents to participate by completing a paper and pencil test, competing against other teams to answer questions more quickly or accurately, or responding to a challenge to build something.
- Competitions sponsored by an external organization during which CMU faculty, students and staff judge student entries.
- Demonstration tables and interactive activities at community organizations or schools. Students are accompanied by parents or teachers and the interactions are brief (< 4 minutes, typically).
- The SciTech Festival of the Carnegie Science Center [4 days in the fall]
- STEM Adventure [4 days in the spring]
- STEM or career nights held at local schools
- Educator Professional Development activities that increase content and skill knowledge of educators to enhance classroom experiences for students – can be long term research experiences, tours, demonstrations, periodic meetings, etc.
- Large group events held on campus during which children, accompanied by teachers or parents, participate in hands-on activities or watch demonstrations.
- High School Day conducted by the Society of Women Engineers
- Chemistry Carnival conducted by the Future Leaders of Science
- Everyday Engineering
- Be an Engineer offered by the College of Engineering
- On-campus field trips frequently requested by schools that focus on a specific topic. Many requests cannot be fulfilled but some groups conduct programs each year.
- Mao Yisheng Foundation HS student visits to campus in the summer
- Online resources for lesson plans and videos that describe research or other activities conducted at the university, educational games or programs.
- Research studies where educators or other education providers work with faculty / researchers at CMU to pilot educational programs prior to large scale dissemination.
- Residential programs typically held in the summer over a multi-day or week period.
- Tutoring and Mentoring Programs for students in local K-12 schools conducted periodically over a semester or academic year.
- Gelfand Tutors at community organizations and schools [multiple interactions each week]
- Strong Women, Strong Girls program [once per week]
- Athletics Lincoln School partnership
- User testing of prototypes or programs developed at CMU that gathers feedback for improvement through observation or other tools.
- ETC play testing events on site or at community organizations such as Museum Lab
- Moving 4th Into Engineering
- Week-long or multi-session workshops focused on a specific topic.
- SUCCEED (Summer Center for Climate, Energy & Environmental Decision Making) conducted by Engineering & Public Policy or the Summer Engineering Experience (SEE)
- Gelfand Outreach Summer Series [one full week in summer]
- SPARK Saturdays sessions conducted by Electrical & Computer Engineering for high school students [Saturdays during the school year]
- Physics Concept Outreach program for middle school students [students attend periodically throughout the school year]
- Project Ignite activities for HS students completing projects while mentored by university students.
- Workshops, a one-time program, that introduce students to a topic or field of study.