Increasing engineering opportunities for K-12 students in south Central Kentucky

Recruiting students is always an important issue for any engineering program. One method of recruiting is to involve K-12 students in hands-on engineering applications. Many K-12 students have no appreciation for the field of engineering and what engineers do. Informing students can be achieved by providing students with the opportunity to experience engineering. Faculty members in the Department of Engineering at Western Kentucky University (WKU) are involved in several means of outreach to the K-12 community such as a high school robot competition, elementary school enrichment programs, junior high student summer programs, and elementary school Saturday programs. These measures will provide students with a concept of the field of engineering and eventually increase enrollment at WKU