Session S3D 978-1-61284-469-5/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE October 12 - 15, 2011, Rapid City, SD 41 st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference S3D-1 University Outreach in STEM Education through a Roller Coaster Science and Engineering Camp David P. Wick, Michael W. Ramsdell, Kathleen Fowler, Peter Turner, Patrick D. Schalk Clarkson University, dwick@clarkson.edu, mramsdel@clarkson.edu, kfowler@clarkson.edu, pturner@clarkson.edu, schalkpd@clarkson.edu Abstract - We describe the structure, implementation, and outcomes of a Roller Coaster Science and Engineering Camp for students in grades 7-12. The framework for the camp has been developed over several years with the goal of providing a unique experience in STEM education using the theme of roller coaster science and engineering. Students form simulated “roller coaster design companies,” whose goal is to design a working roller coaster. To assist with the design process, we have developed a Roller Coaster Card Game that incorporates a series of track segments depicting starting hills, vertical loops, corkscrews, cobra rolls, horseshoe turns, and brake segments which can be assembled to initiate the design process. Based on scientific analysis, students exchange cards from the original design with cards depicting similar segments and corrected dimensions. Only certain card combinations result in a working model. The final design is then programmed into a commercial roller coaster software package, where it can be simulated from a first-person rider perspective. We discuss the impact of the camp on student involvement in other research projects and enrichment opportunities. While the specific impact of any single intervention is difficult to measure, we offer some assessment of student participant performance in math/science. Index Terms – Educational Outreach, Roller Coaster Science and Engineering, STEM INTRODUCTION Growing national efforts focus on preparing K-12 students in STEM and inspiring them to pursue careers in STEM fields [1]. In this paper, we describe the structure, implementation, and outcomes of an innovative summer Roller Coaster Science and Engineering Camp developed for economically disadvantaged and/or underrepresented minority students in grades 7-12. The camp is one component of a New York State STEP (Science and Technology Entry Program) grant at Clarkson University, initially awarded in 2006, entitled IMPETUS (Integrated Mathematics and Physics for Entry To Undergraduate STEM) for Career Success. The summer program provides a scientific experience for participating students, carefully designed for three separate grade levels (paired as 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12), using the theme of a roller coaster to motivate interest and excitement. Each level incorporates a component of discovery in conceptual physics integrated with mathematics through direct application to the roller coaster theme to engage a target audience of approximately 50 participants in Northern New York (NNY). PROGRAM PURPOSE AND GOALS The primary goal of the IMPETUS for Career Success program is to provide opportunities for students from economically disadvantaged rural areas to help them realize their potential for college entry as STEM majors and eventual career success in STEM professions. Regional Need The Northern New York region contains approximately half a million people in six counties. The region is sparsely populated with 44 residents per square mile, compared to the NY State average of 402, and characterized as isolated, rural, and socio-economically depressed. While the region contains more than 20% of the state’s land area, it is home to only 2% of the state’s population and receives only 0.2% of the total federal funding received by the state [2]. The poverty rates for the past 10 years are consistently among the highest in the state, with 18% or more of students under the age of 17 living below the poverty level [3]-[4]. St. Lawrence County (SLC) is the largest county in the state, located in the northernmost section, along the Canadian border. SLC contains 44 schools in 17 rural school districts that range in size from approximately 350 students, to one larger district of over 2,000 students. SLC unemployment was over 10% for the year July 2009 to June 2010, well above the state average of 8.3% for that same time period, according to the United States Department of Labor [5]. School Report Card Data for 2008-2009 from NY State’s Education Department (NYSED) shows that for NNY: • 31/55 (57%) districts (76% in SLC) are classified as “high needs.” • 23/55 (42%) districts have free/reduced lunch eligibility rates above 40% and as high as 65%, and from 1999- 2008 these rates increased faster than the general population, which actually decreased in all but one county. NY State 2010 standardized test data in Mathematics showed that student proficiency levels (Level 3-4 out of 4)