@article{fdf7e5e7f6cc41c5ac3cc81544ab0d22,
title = "Generation NXT: Building young engineers with LEGOs",
abstract = "This paper describes key success factors for the implementation and development of a LEGO robotics engineering outreach program for elementary school students in West Texas. The outreach program not only aims at getting young students excited about engineering but at the same time aims at improving retention rates among electrical and computer engineering freshman-level college students by involving them as paid mentors. It particularly takes into consideration the rural character of West Texas, which provides hardly any electrical and computer engineering job opportunities,and the fact that a university with a college of engineering serves as academic hub for the area.",
keywords = "Engineering outreach, Informal K-12 education, LEGO mindstorms NXT, Robotics outreach, Undergraduate retention",
author = "Tanja Karp and Richard Gale and Lowe, {Laura A.} and Vickie Medina and Eric Beutlich",
note = "Funding Information: Manuscript received December 15, 2008; revised May 05, 2009. First published September 09, 2009; current version published February 03, 2010. The described program was supported by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board through grant contract 003644 TYT06-0002 and would not have been possible without this support. T. Karp and R. Gale are with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA (e-mail: tanja.karp@ttu.edu; richard.gale@ttu.edu). L. A. Lowe is with the Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA (e-mail: laura.lowe@ttu.edu). V. Medina is with Trust Point Hospital, Lubbock, TX 79415 USA. E. Beutlich is with the Electrical Engineering Department, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409 USA. Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org. Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TE.2009.2024410",
year = "2010",
month = feb,
doi = "10.1109/TE.2009.2024410",
language = "English",
volume = "53",
pages = "80--87",
journal = "IEEE Transactions on Education",
issn = "0018-9359",
number = "1",
}