The K12 Engineering Education Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Not SXSW Live Mar 14, 2020

Show notes

The South-by-Southwest education conference for 2020 is cancelled, due to emergency declarations related to COVID-19. Pius and Rachel discuss what happens next, for educators in Texas and across the country. Related to this episode: • How Coronavirus Took Down SXSW: https://www.citylab.com/equity/2020/03/sxsw-cancellation-coronavirus-austin-music-film-festival/607669/ • How Do You Build a Career in EdTech?: https://schedule.sxswedu.com/2020/events/PP102219 • Past podcast episodes with Melanie Kong: http://www.k12engineering.net/guests/10 • State-by-state breakdown of 120 rural hospital closures: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/state-by-state-breakdown-of-120-rural-hospital-closures.html Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Real-World Learning in 2020 Mar 10, 2020

Show notes

Casey Lamb and Roger Horton work with the nonprofit organization Schools That Can. Schools That Can aims to promote real-world learning in education, with particular experience fostering real-world learning for younger students. This takes many forms, including collaborating with industry, teaching design thinking, and embracing the maker movement. Casey and Roger joined the podcast to talk about their National Forum on real-world learning in the digital age, as well as how real-world learning is evolving today. Roger is the Director of Maker Programs with Schools That Can, as well as the lead practitioner on a National Science Foundation project for the organization. He started his career as a Navy engineer, led youth employment training programs in developing countries, and taught Global History and Engineering Design at EPIC North High School in Queens, an STC network school. Casey is Chief Operating Officer for Schools That Can, and she co-authored the Schools That Can Real-World Learning Rubric for educators, helped found the Transforming Learning Collaborative, alongside partners at Da Vinci Schools and Next Generation Learning Challenges. Related to this episode: • Schools That Can: https://www.schoolsthatcan.org/ • National Forum in NYC: https://www.schoolsthatcan.org/2020-stc-forum/ • Rubric for real-world learning: https://www.schoolsthatcan.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RWL_Rubric.pdf • MC2 STEM High School in Cleveland: https://www.mc2stemhighschool.org/ • American Society of Civil Engineers: https://www.asce.org/ • Next Generation Science Standards adoption across states: https://ngss.nsta.org/about.aspx • SOLE – Self-organized learning environment app for inquiry-based learning aligned to standards: https://startsole.org/ • Nepris app to connect experts to classrooms: https://www.nepris.com/home/v4 • CommunityShare, to connect teachers locally to industry: https://www.communityshare.us/ • Engineering is Elementary: https://www.eie.org/ • Penn Graduate School project-based learning certificate: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/academics/professional-learning/project-based-learning-certificate • CS4All in NYC: http://cs4all.nyc/ • John Dewey (1859-1952), educator: https://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/john.html Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

This Engineer Is Running for Congress Feb 26, 2020

Show notes

Project manager and software engineer Rick Kennedy is running for US House Representative for District 17 in Texas, in the 2020 Democratic primary. After decades working in tech, and after Trump was elected, Rick decided to run for office to try to solve difficult social problems and help end political divisiveness in the country. He joins the podcast to talk about his vision for universal pre-K, the costs of higher ed, rural internet, online disinformation, and more. Related to this episode: • Rick Kennedy’s campaign: https://rickkennedyforcongress.com/ • US House District 17: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas%27s_17th_congressional_district • Texas ranked 36th nationally in per-student education spending: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/15/texas-student-teacher-spending-average/ • Title 1 federal funding for schools: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html • Accreditation of Marlin ISD in Texas: https://www.kxxv.com/news/local-news/tea-revokes-marlin-isd-accreditation-no-longer-recognized-as-public-school • The return on investment of early childhood education: https://www.impact.upenn.edu/our-analysis/opportunities-to-achieve-impact/early-childhood-toolkit/why-invest/what-is-the-return-on-investment/ • Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/two-years-after-the-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-who-are-the-winners-and-the-losers-2020-02-11 • Tips for protecting yourself from disinformation: https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/02/26/4-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-disinformation/ • HR1 We the People Act on gerrymandering and redistricting: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1/text • Voting information for Texas: https://www.votetexas.gov/ Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Leveling Up Your Career in Education Jan 26, 2020

Show notes

How do you “develop your practice” as a teacher and administrator? Rachel and Pius discuss this question and share their thoughts on going deeper into their careers as educators, all after a dinner of Austin barbecue. Related to this episode: • Slab BBQ: http://realdopebbq.com/ • The cover art is a photo of the Slab BBQ wall, showing patches from the 10th Mountain Division: https://home.army.mil/drum/index.php/units-tenants/10th-mountain-division-li • Highway 290 named for 10th Mountain Division: https://www.aaroads.com/guides/us-290-west-bastrop-tx/ • Math Anxiety: http://www.k12engineering.net/episodes/53 Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Inventing GPS Jan 16, 2020

Show notes

Hugo Fruehauf, one of the co-inventors of GPS, explains the nitty-gritty of what GPS is. He also details his critical engineering work on the GPS subsystem of the atomic clock. Hugo was one of four recipients of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, along with Dr. Bradford Parkinson, Professor James Spilker, and Richard Schwartz. Related to this episode: • Hugo’s website: http://hugofruehauf.com/ • Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering: https://qeprize.org/ Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Australian Trends in Engineering Education Dec 03, 2019

Show notes

Like much of the world, Australian educators are increasingly embracing STEM education for younger students. Chris Perkins is one such teacher at Keithcot Farm Primary School outside Adelaide, South Australia. He talks about a range of issues on his radar as a STEM teacher, including how he stays up-to-date, Australian inventions, how New South Wales is a leader in that country for education, and more. For a video of the robot arm that Chris mentioned, see it here: https://youtu.be/L9rG8cD3pxQ The cover art for this episode comes from Gilbert Toyne’s 1925 Australian patent on the rotary clothesline: http://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/auspat/ Related to this episode: • STEM Everyday: http://dailystem.com/stem-everyday-podcast/ • Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/twenty-one-elephants-and-still-standing-by-april-jones-prince/ • 44% of teachers leave after 5 years: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2018/10/today_teaching_force_richard_ingersoll.html • Australian curriculum: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ • Year 7 to high school: https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites-and-facilities/year-7-high-school • Beebots: https://www.terrapinlogo.com/beebot.html • Ozobots: https://ozobot.com/ • Lego Mindstorms EV3 robots: https://education.lego.com/en-us/shop/mindstorms-ev3 • Video of robot arm on website: https://youtu.be/L9rG8cD3pxQ • Rotary hills hoist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hills_Hoist • Australia’s Top 10 Inventions: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/01/australias-top-10-inventions-the-victa-lawn-mower/ • World Solar Car Challenge: https://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/ • Solar tiles article: https://theconversation.com/we-can-make-roof-tiles-with-built-in-solar-cells-now-the-challenge-is-to-make-them-cheaper-123775 • Wave energy: https://e360.yale.edu/features/why_wave_power_has_lagged_far_behind_as_energy_source • Texas A&M research on wave energy: https://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2019/02/could-the-ocean-be-the-answer-to-a-clean-energy-supply.html • Food scientist and cook Ann Reardon debunking viral food videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26m8NmKPzUI • Verification and Validation, past episode: http://www.k12engineering.net/episodes/45 Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Q&A with a Chemical Engineer Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

What does a chemical engineer do? What makes a good one? What should young people know about the field? Chemical engineer Will Mullen helps us answer these questions and more. Will is a Process Engineer and Engineering Manager at a manufacturing plant for specialty chemicals in North Carolina. Before that he managed facilities and worked in chemical plants in Texas and Georgia, and he has been involved in youth leadership for many years. Related to this episode: • NC State Chemical Engineering: https://www.cbe.ncsu.edu/ • Skype a Scientist: https://www.skypeascientist.com/ • NC State Engineering Ambassadors: https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/academics/undergrad/engineering-ambassadors/ • Engineering Grand Challenges from National Academy of Engineers: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ • Cradle-to-Grave Assessment (Life Cycle Assessment): https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/cradle-to-grave-assessment • Solar sails: https://www.planetary.org/explore/projects/lightsail-solar-sailing/what-is-solar-sailing.html • Educators, you can contact Will about chemical engineering: wfmullen14@yahoo.com • South by Southwest EDU: https://www.sxswedu.com/ Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Career Advice for New Electrical and Software Engineers Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

What should you look for in your first engineering job? How do you bridge high school, college, internships, and then finally full-time work? Is college worth it for the tech industry? Engineer and developer Omar Leyva gives advice on all this and more, speaking as an Android developer and computer engineer at Tile, a consumer electronics company in San Mateo, California. He also describes how his very first experience programming was C++ in college, how being a son of immigrants affected his views on college, and why people and company culture are so important for evaluating a job. Related to this episode: • Tile and its app: https://www.thetileapp.com/en-us/ • Electrical Engineering department at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles): https://www.ee.ucla.edu/ • Cisco, networking technology company: https://www.cisco.com/ • Sandisk, computer technology company: https://www.sandisk.com/ • Netapp, data services company: https://www.netapp.com • IEEE (“I Triple E”), professional society for electrical engineering: https://www.ieee.org/ • Center for Excellence in Engineering Diversity at UCLA: https://www.ceed.ucla.edu/ Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Robots for Everyone! Aug 31, 2019

Show notes

What do young people think about STEM fields today? Michigan STEM educator Danielle Boyer talks about her perspective as a recent high school graduate who teaches robotics to many young K-12 students. She talks about her lower-cost robot platform Every Kid Gets a Robot, her coloring books for STEM representation, young people’s college fears, and also her views on accessibility and diversity in engineering. Episode cover art photo courtesy of Danielle Boyer. Related to this episode: • Danielle Boyer at the STEAM Connection: https://www.steamconnection.org/ • Every Kid Gets a Robot: https://www.steamconnection.org/robotics • Fischer Unitech camps: https://www.fisherunitech.com/future-manufacturing-camp/ • ESP32 development board: https://randomnerdtutorials.com/getting-started-with-esp32/ • The STEAM Sisters on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steamsisters/ • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/ • Rachel York, Community Manager at SolidWorks: https://forum.solidworks.com/people/1-3U2N7GF • MythBusters: https://go.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/ • Coloring books from the STEAM Connection: https://www.steamconnection.org/books • American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES): https://www.aises.org/ • FIRST Robotics: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc • STEMedia: https://www.stemedia.org/ • Past episode “Digital Pop Culture for STEM” with Dr. Nehemiah Mabry of STEMedia: http://www.k12engineering.net/episodes/48 Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

Distributed Programming for Newbies Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

Distributed systems rule much of new technology today, as software programs exist across multiple computers, servers, phones, and smart devices. How can students learn to program these systems? Start with a visual programming environment, says Dr. Akos Ledeczi from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Ledeczi is an electrical and computer engineer who researches distributed systems and how to teach computer science. His research group created the NetsBlox block-based programming platform, based on SNAP and similar to Scratch, but it also has capabilities built-in for distributed or parallel programming. Ledeczi discusses the NetsBlox platform, their curriculum for teaching high schoolers, and their Roboscape project to link NetsBlox with robotics and cybersecurity education. Episode cover art photo by Alex Knight from Pexels. Related to this episode: • Dr. Akos Ledezci: http://www.isis.vanderbilt.edu/akos • MATLAB software: https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab.html • Scratch language: https://scratch.mit.edu/ • Snap language: https://snap.berkeley.edu/ • Netsblox: https://netsblox.org/ • Web APIs list from MDN: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API • Roboscape: https://netsblox.org/cybersecurity • Parallax ActivityBot 360: https://www.parallax.com/product/32600 • Article on Anki going out of business, from The Robot Report: https://www.therobotreport.com/anki-addresses-shutdown-ongoing-support-for-robots/ • C2STEM curriculum – https://c2stem.org/ Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.

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