Events
Two 90 minute seminars, on two Saturdays, two weeks apart.

Participants
30 teachers, 6 engineers, over two sessions.  

Workshop Location
The first workshop was held at a local middle school. The second workshop was conducted at a technology education conference.

Promotion Methods
To engineers: two page insert ran in September Section Newsletter.
To teachers: events were part of existing programs so the umbrella programs helped with promotion.

Activities
Workshop format: introduction to the event and to engineering principles (20-30 minutes); hands-on structure building and testing of the structures, 60 minutes. Both sessions introduced the Straw Bridge Challenge to teachers, as a new part of Baltimore Section's annual contribution to the Maryland Engineering Challenges.

Handouts
Teachers left with equipment (glue guns, and sticks, straws, instructions), handouts (7 Engineering Concepts), ASME brochures, and two ASME engineering career videos which were directed toward middle school students.

Costs
Approximate cost per session was $650.

Volunteers
A total of about 6 engineers from the section (from local industry) have participated in the events.  The ratio between engineers and teachers worked well.

In-Kind Support
Sweet Heart Cup donated straws; the facility used was donated by the middle and high school.  Promotion was provided by the conference.

Feedback
Teachers "were very excited about the hands-on nature of the project, and the depth the straw bridge has.  It can be a quite simple endeavor for younger kids, or get significantly complex for older ones."

"I would like to replicate this at any opportunity.  The teachers are enthusiastic and will take the project and concepts to many students out there."

ASME Baltimore is being honored November 18 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry by the Technology Educators Association of Maryland for the section's support of  technology education and participation in the TEAM conference.  

Lessons Learned
Collaborating has proved to be the key to successful programs.  (Longtime section involvement with Baltimore Museum of Industry, the Maryland Technology Education Center, and the Associates Council of the Engineering Society of Baltimore.)  Despite section's decade-old educational support program, some of the teachers were unaware of its existence.  So, the section sees a need for more effective promotion to teachers.

Event planners recommend the "before you go anywhere with your planning, get the buy in of the teachers groups in the area.  They need to be on board, up front, in person.  The section planners suggest that participating engineers translate whatever they are explaining from engineering-ese to teachers-ese...so teachers really understand the concepts.  "Go back to basics, and provide teachers with visual principles and techniques that can be used to emphasize a point.  Remember that the education level of the target students...visual techniques work well," they suggest.  Be sure to use many hands-on and visual examples.  Don't talk down to the teachers, but try to communicate at the level of understanding, and the level of understanding of their students." 

Follow up Activities
Arranging engineering Mentors for teachers entering classes in the Maryland Engineering Challenges in Spring 2000.Also planning a hands-on workshop for middle school teachers in April 2000.

How to Contact Planners
Niel (Nathaniel) Leon, Section Education Chair
Website: www.asme.org/sections/baltimore/index.html 
E-mail: leonn@asme.org