The Tennessee STEM
Innovation Network is thrilled to announce the return of the Manufacturing and
Engineering Externship Program, sponsored by a grant
from the Office of Naval Research. The Manufacturing and Engineering
Externship Program, or MEEP, is designed to equip Tennessee educators to
develop future ready talent. MEEP seeks to address the growing STEM skills gap
in the manufacturing and engineering sectors by engaging K-12 Tennessee
educators in paid summer externships with local companies in STEM industries.
After a successful
cohort in 2019, the 2020 cohort was cancelled due to public
health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this second year of participants, TSIN and its partners continue to make
safety a priority. All plans for the Summer 2021 cohort will involve a virtual
component to minimize risks for participants. While we plan for participants to spend 1-2 days with a manufacturing partner in the fall, we will continue to monitor the current situation and make adjustments accordingly.
But what will you do
during your externship with MEEP? Through MEEP, you’ll see
STEM concepts in action. Then, during professional development
work, you’ll develop a new project-based learning experience to take
back to your classroom. Additionally, teachers who complete the program’s requirements will
receive a $2,500 stipend.
Program Timeline (2021)
April 1st - April 23rd:
Application
window open
Late May:
Acceptance
notifications
July 12
-15 OR
July 19-22:
Virtual
PBL training and
introduction to manufacturing professional development series (educators
select one of these two weeks to participate in training)
September:
Teacher
readiness touch base
October - November:
Teacher externship experience
November - December:
Teachers
submit a draft of their PBL created from the externship
experience
February - March:
Program
reconvening
(anticipated
1-day, in-person session)
Details about the Program
Eligibility:
The
applicant must be a Tennessee K-12 teacher. Teachers can apply individually or
in teams of two from their school. Each applicant should submit their own
application.
Responsibilities:
· Attend a
Project-Based Learning (PBL) training hosted by TSIN in Summer 2021.
· Schedule a
consultation call, or in-person visit, with the industry partner to ensure the
industry partner’s Human Resources requirements are fulfilled before externship
experience.
· Participate in a 1-2
day externship experience in Fall 2021.
· Develop
and submit a PBL curricular unit based on externship
experience to engage students with the STEM skills and habits necessary for
success in the field and expose them to STEM career opportunities.
· Participate in the
program feedback/wrap-up day in early 2022.
· Participate in the
program evaluation process.
Selection Process:
· The application
period will be open from April 1st through April 23, 2021.
· TSIN will select 50 teachers to participate in the program.
· Teachers will be
notified of their acceptance in late May.
Application Link Here
Learn from a former participant
TSIN
has recently welcomed a former MEEP participant to the team as a STEM
Relationship Manager. Kristin McQueen, a former teacher at Ashland City Elementary STEM Academy in
Ashland, TN, will be overseeing the MEEP program as well as other
programs. To help answer some of the initial questions you may have, Zac Ames,
with the Ohio STEM Learning Network sat down with Kristin to find out about her experience with MEEP.
Please explain
your
history with the MEEP program.
As a previous educator, I was always looking
for ways to further my STEM toolbox through professional growth. It was because
of my connection with the
Tennessee STEM Innovation Network that
I came across the MEEP opportunity. I presented the idea to my colleague and we
decided to apply together knowing that we would impact more students in
different grand bands. In 2019, we were accepted into the program and began our
journey. With PBL and manufacturing training under our belts, we strolled into
A.O. Smith, a hot water manufacturer. While there, we were able to
experience multiple jobs including Robotics
Mechanic, Engineering Technician, Production Manager,
and Quality Manager. It was eye-opening to see all the steps that went
into designing and building one water heater. I was able to quickly see the
design cycle working in each formation of the process and with each position I
shadowed.
What were you able to bring back to your
students from this program?
After leaving A.O. Smith, it was clear to me
that each position
required STEM skills. I created my PBL around water
filtration and was able to provide first-hand knowledge to my students
through my experience using pictures and interviews. One of the Quality Engineers
visited our classrooms and helped our students work through the engineering
design cycle while planning out their ideas for a water filtration system.
Through this collaboration, students were able to build and test water
filtration systems that cleaned up dirty water. It was awesome to connect A.O.
Smith to this because they have their very own Water Treatment Plant on site. I
was able to show them pictures and videos from my time in the water treatment
plant. My students gained knowledge around manufacturing and learned how to
implement valuable STEM skills into a finished product.
How did your students enjoy the new
coursework?
My students were so engaged during this
project and a big piece of that was knowing that I “worked” there for a few
days, that some of their family members work there, and they can physically see
it behind our school. It made something they see daily into a reality. Students
were invested in the project and excited to see if their water was going to
test
clean.
It was exciting to see them collaborate and communicate with one another and
work to solve problems together. I remember one group had
tested their sample numerous times and each time the water kept
filtering dirty; I encouraged them to revisit the design cycle, and after
reworking some of their systems that third time
hit it on the money. The water filtered clean, and they were jumping for joy
and high-fiving each other. It was impactful to see the manufacturing
world become a reality for them.
Now that you are organizing MEEP, what
changes have you implemented to make the program better?
With going through the program to leading the
implementation, my biggest focus has been to increase teacher knowledge
surrounding the fundamentals of manufacturing and increase the outreach across
the state. I want teachers to have a baseline understanding of the
manufacturing world before they
even set foot on their host site. I also have
challenged myself to double the number of industries that participated in the
MEEP program previously with a wide reach across the regions of Tennessee. I
think that part of the impact comes from pairing teachers with an exceptional
industry where teachers can truly experience the design cycle and STEM skills
needed to function in the manufacturing world and have a lasting business
partner to continue STEM supports throughout the school.
How have you altered to make the program more
accessible during the COVID-19 transition?
MEEP is transitioning to an online platform
with synchronous and asynchronous opportunities for professional learning. In
the "live" (synchronous virtual) sessions, teachers
will hear from the Battelle team and a Manufacturing Panel to help prepare them
for the cohort. Teachers will also complete self-paced PBL training and
manufacturing fundamentals with virtual check-ins with the Battelle
team. With COVID restrictions in mind, our externship timeframe was also
shortened to 1-2 days, previously 3-5, to help lighten the load on the industry
side.
What advice would you give educators who
might want to try this externship?
MEEP is a great opportunity for teachers to
expand or gain new knowledge around building high-quality, authentic PBLs. It
is also eye-opening to connect what we are teaching to real-life careers such
as manufacturing and engineering. It opens a window of opportunity to gain a
new business partner that can continue to help leverage STEM initiatives pushed
within your school. Make sure to keep an open mind and push yourself to think
outside the box. Utilize all the supports that are put in place throughout the
MEEP program. Leave your host site with multiple contacts to help support your
teaching. Lastly, have fun! We do not get many chances to learn outside of the
classroom, let alone be physically put to work in manufacturing. Embrace the
opportunity and see how it helps shape your teaching practices and expand student
learning beyond the norm.
If you have any questions about this
application or process? Email Kristin McQueen at Battelle at mcqueen@battelle.org
.
