Nurturing the Next Generation of Engineers and Researchers

By Trevor Cuddy, Director of the Engineering Student Recruitment and Outreach Office and the Professional Development Centre

Universities can play an important role in helping to improve the overall science literacy of the general population and create a much broader understanding of the Engineering profession. Through outreach, our Faculty has the ability to form strong life-long relationships with members of the community, and play an active role in nurturing the next generation of engineers and researchers.

In September 2004, the Faculty created the Engineering Student Recruitment and Outreach Office (ESROO). The office had the mandate to develop and operate a full suite of K-12 educational outreach programs that were designed to inspire and excite young minds about Engineering, science and technology. The newly formed office was also responsible for developing programs that were targeted at specific groups that were underrepresented in our Faculty, with the long-term goal of increasing access and participation for students from these groups. The targeted groups are women, students from African and Caribbean backgrounds and those from First Nations communities.

Since 2004 we have made major improvements to our existing outreach programs and developed a number of new initiatives. ESROO currently operates 21 different programs, each with a different theme and target audience, but all related around the central theme of promoting Engineering and the profession to youth through fun, exploratory and hands-on activities. Over 50,000 students participated in ESROO programs last year.

We have identified four major areas in which our programs make an important impact both within the Faculty and in the community:

Impact on Young Minds

Our programs provide important enhancements and enrichment beyond the regular science curriculum. Exposing students to science and Engineering at a very young age allows them to incorporate a scientific understanding of the world around them; science and Engineering become a regular part of life, not just subjects studied in school. We believe that it is particularly important to spark an interest in students in elementary school, nurture this interest in grades 7 - 8, and fuel passion for science and Engineering in high school. Through these programs the Faculty is helping to cultivate the next generation of Engineering students, researchers, professors and leaders.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students as Mentors

The outreach programs provide employment to over 150 undergraduate and graduate student instructors each year. These young, talented and energetic engineers act as role models and mentors to the student participants. Our instructors often comment on how teaching Engineering and science furthers their own understanding of their studies and research. In addition to the excellent teaching experience, the instructors also gain an appreciation for the importance of community service and community engagement. 

Important Community Partnerships

To develop many of the targeted outreach programs, we have formed partnerships with a number of community organizations. For example, in the summer of 2007 we developed a special science camp for the Regent Park community. With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Actua, we worked with Pathways for Education and Nelson Mandela Public School to offer a free science camp to this high-need community. We have developed a number of similar partnerships with organizations and individuals in the First Nations, African and Caribbean communities.

Student Recruitment

Many of our programs bring students from across Canada and from around the world. Through our interactive programming, these students experience Engineering within the Faculty’s facilities and forge important relationships with professors, students and staff. These connections, along with positive educational experiences, contribute significantly to a sense of belonging and our ability to recruit these students into our undergraduate programs.

The ESROO team is passionate about the programming that we do and the impact that we have on the lives of our participants. I am incredibly proud of the achievements we have made over the last few years. We are widely-regarded as the leaders in Canada in this type of outreach programming and it is rewarding to know that our programming is making positive contributions to both the Faculty and the community.

See the dozens of ways the Faculty is reaching out to future Engineers and researchers.

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