MEPO's Outreach & Recruitment Programs are designed to reach K-12 students traditionally underrepresented in the engineering field. We provide a number of engineering enrichment and preparatory activities including Saturday Morning Spring Programs and multiple Summer Programs.

Spring Programs
MEPO, in conjunction with the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP), offers a series of five Saturday classes per year to 7th and 8th grade students. Classes emphasize confidence-building and hands-on activities geared towards that age group. Various U-M engineering departments sponsor a course. Below are the programs and descriptions of each offering:

SPRING PROGRAM OFFERINGS AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Chem-E in Action
Sponsored by the Department of Chemical Engineering "Chem-E in Action" will provide students an introduction to the design process used in chemical engineering. Students will participate in hands-on activities involving heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, separations, and chemical applications.

Glow Blue
Sponsored by the Department of Nuclear Engineering, "Glow Blue" will provide an introduction to energy sources, exponential decay, hands-on reactor activities, spectroscopy, and virtual reality.

The Making of the Automobile
Sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering "The Making of the Automobile" will introduce students to the basics of mechanical engineering and manufacturing as it relates to the automobile design and fabrication.

Pirates of Michigan
Sponsored by the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering "Pirates of Michigan" will introduce students to the fundamentals of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Students will explore topics including hydrodynamics, marine engineering, ship design, underwater remote operated vehicles, and virtual reality. (15 students)

What's Inside Me?
Sponsored by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, "What's Inside Me?" takes an interactive approach to learning and understanding the fundamental principles of biomedical engineering. Through a series of lab and hands-on activities, panel discussions, and project design, students discover the multidisciplinary nature of the field, as well as develop critical thinking and problem solving skills to relate knowledge to real-world applications.

WIMS Superstar Challenges
Sponsored by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science "WIMS Superstar Challenges" will teach students the fundamentals of electrical and computer engineering and its applications to modern technology. Students will explore these topics through hands-on experiments involving computer programming and robotics. The lessons will also include Wireless Integrated Microsystems (WIMS), Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), and Neuroprosthesis.

The Wonders of Flight
Sponsored by the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the Michigan Space Grant Consortium "The Wonders of Flight" will introduce the basics of flight dynamics such as aerodynamics, jet propulsion, rocket fabrication, and wind tunnel testing. The lessons and demonstrations will challenge students to explore math, physics, optics, and aerospace engineering. The hands-on activities will include launching rockets and building balsa wood gliders.

Smart-Structures
Sponsored by the Department of Civil Engineering “Smart-Structure Learning Modules” will introduce students to the basics of civil engineering as it relates to accelerometers, wireless sensors, and structural damage detection methods.

Fun & Variety in IOE
Sponsoredby the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering “Fun & Varietyin IOE” will introduce the students to industrial an operations engineering concepts.  Students will participate in hands-on activities in manufacturing, ergonomics (product safety and improvement), optimization, investing, and entrepreneurship. They will also design a “Fun & Variety in IOE” t-shirt. 

Class participation is limited to DAPCEP-sponsored students. To find out how to participate, call MEPO at (734) 647-7120.

For more information, please visit the DAPCEP website.