New, GK-12: CYBER-Alaska- Training Tomorrow's Engineers in Cyber-Physical Systems (CYBER: Creating Young Brilliant Engineers and Researchers)
Lead PI:
Orion Lawlor
Co-PI:
Abstract
This project will improve the communication, teaching and leadership skills of graduate students conducting research in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) via teaching and mentoring in 7-12 secondary education, while advancing their research through the planned inquiry-based educational activities. The graduate fellows selected from multidisciplinary engineering disciplines will partner with teachers in planning, preparing and delivering CPS related enhancements to existing science and technology course topics, hence infusing CPS related basic engineering concepts into grades 7-12. Fellows will partner with selected teachers of technology, science, and math, and will act as role models and in-class ?resource persons?, while also mentoring students in various engineering and computational aspects of Alaska relevant CPS applications and projects. The educational activities and projects will be directly related to the fellows? CPS research, such as autonomous unmanned ground and aerial vehicles for exploration and search & rescue in the Arctic, internet-based bilateral control and teleoperation systems; sensor/actuator networks for decision support systems and for energy efficient automated buildings. CYBER-Alaska will address this need and provide systematic mentorship for engineering education with different applications of CPS, a theme identified as the technology of 21st century and a top priority for the USA. Our project will contribute to the education and training of well-rounded graduate students in this emerging area, while also addressing the urgent technical educational needs of Alaska public teachers and students, primarily aiming for rural schools and schools with high percentage of minorities and Alaskan natives.
Performance Period: 09/15/2011 - 08/31/2016
Institution: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1045601