IEEE TryEngineering

IEEE TryEngineering

IEEE TryEngineering is an educational initiative of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers associated with pre-college and early university career awareness programs. It provides curricula, lesson plans, competitions, mentoring, and online resources designed to introduce students to engineering, technology, and computing pathways. The initiative collaborates with professional societies, corporations, academic institutions, and governmental and nongovernmental organizations to broaden participation in engineering professions.

Overview

The initiative operates as a program within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers umbrella alongside entities such as the IEEE Foundation, IEEE Standards Association, IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Computer Society, IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, and IEEE Educational Activities. It offers materials developed in collaboration with stakeholders such as National Science Foundation, European Commission, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, American Society for Engineering Education, Society of Women Engineers, National Academy of Engineering, and multinational corporations including Google, Microsoft, Intel Corporation, IBM, and Cisco Systems. Content addresses pathways linked to curricula at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University. The platform connects volunteers from professional associations such as Association for Computing Machinery and Society of Petroleum Engineers with schools and youth groups affiliated with organizations like Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, FIRST, and VEX Robotics.

History and Development

The initiative evolved from IEEE outreach activities in the late 1990s and early 2000s influenced by policy reports from bodies such as National Science Board, U.S. Department of Education, and advisory committees to universities including Caltech, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Princeton University, and Columbia University. Early partnerships included engineering education programs at NASA, European Space Agency, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing, mirroring workforce development discussions found in reports by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Pew Research Center. Development milestones correspond with technology shifts exemplified by projects at Bell Labs, Xerox PARC, and research centers at Bell Laboratories, with pedagogical influences from educators at Harvard University Graduate School of Education and innovators such as Seymour Papert and institutions like MIT Media Lab. The program expanded internationally through collaborations with national engineering bodies including Engineers Australia, Institution of Engineering and Technology, Indian National Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Programs and Resources

Offerings include classroom-ready lesson plans, design challenges, teacher professional development, and student competitions similar to frameworks found in Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Regeneron Science Talent Search, FIRST Robotics Competition, Imagine Cup, and Shell Eco-marathon. Resource development drew on curricular models from Next Generation Science Standards, resources used by American Institutes for Research, and digital learning practices advocated by Mozilla Foundation and Khan Academy. Mentoring and volunteer matching involve professionals from corporate partners such as Siemens, General Electric, Schlumberger, Honeywell International, and ARM Holdings as well as academics from University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, Tsinghua University, and National University of Singapore. The site aggregates multimedia, lesson units, and project rubrics informed by research from RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, and studies published in journals like IEEE Transactions on Education, Nature, Science, and Proceedings of the IEEE.

Partnerships and Outreach

Outreach strategies leverage collaboration with international competitions and NGOs such as World Economic Forum, International Telecommunication Union, World Bank, UNICEF, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Regional engagement occurs through alliances with entities including European Institute of Innovation and Technology, African Union, ASEAN, Council of Europe, and national ministries such as Ministry of Education (United Kingdom), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Ministry of Education (China). Corporate social responsibility programs from Apple Inc., Samsung, Amazon (company), Facebook, and Oracle Corporation have intersected with pilot activities. University outreach partners have included Brown University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, and University of Michigan as conduits for student internships, research projects, and teacher training.

Impact and Reception

Evaluations and commentary reference studies from National Research Council (United States), Royal Academy of Engineering, EngineeringUK, STEM Learning, and analysts at McKinsey & Company and Deloitte regarding STEM pipeline effects, diversity outcomes, and workforce readiness. Independent assessments have compared outcomes with programs such as Girls Who Code, Black Girls CODE, Code.org, Teach for America, and Project Lead The Way. Coverage and endorsements have appeared in outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Nature News, and Scientific American, and the approach has been cited in academic conferences like ICER, SIGCSE, ASEE Annual Conference, and EDUCAUSE. Awards and recognitions connected to IEEE initiatives include honors from American Association for the Advancement of Science, Royal Society, Presidential Innovation Fellows, and regional education awards in jurisdictions such as European Commission Horizon Prize and national science prizes.

Category:Engineering education