Engineering
December 13, 2016
Shiley School of Engineering professor Shazib Vijlee is working to develop a one-semester pre-engineering course for seniors from De La Salle North Catholic High School who are interested in pursing engineering careers. The engineering course, which will have its first cohort of up to 12 students in Spring 2017, will serve as an elective towards their high school diploma as well as two university-level credits.
The EGR 110 course will cover engineering disciplines including civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical. The 15-week course, which will be held in Shiley Hall, will include skills labs and an overarching project. The project will challenge the high school students to design and build a simple wind turbine system using the tools and resources they learned through their skills labs. Students will learn about bridge fabrication, Arduino hardware and programming, basic circuits, and 3D printing among other topics.
“This class is an attempt to showcase basic engineering principles of several engineering disciplines at an introductory level through a hands-on multi-disciplinary project,” Vijlee said. “The students will explore and tinker with engineering, igniting their curiosity and learning how engineering as a profession is filled with curious ventures.”
The pre-engineering course was made possible with help from alumnus Paul Speer and his wife Debbie Speer, who have been active contributors to a number of Shiley School of Engineering initiatives related to academic resources and support for lab equipment. Paul, who has been a weekly tutor at the high school, is excited to provide “an experience for these kids in terms of environment, ease of travel from De La Salle North Catholic High School, and a customized broad topical exposure” in the engineering field.
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