From July 12 to July 23, 2021, Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO) hosted Engineering Investigations (EI), a virtual program designed to expose high school students to what an education and career in various engineering disciplines can look like. Facilitated by undergraduate Teaching Assistants (TAs) from chemical, mechanical, civil and environmental engineering, as well as human factors, and with support from CEEO Director Merredith Portsmore, the program showcased students, faculty, and research from across Tufts.

After receiving a package full of supplies – from coffee roasting equipment to Wio terminals to bags of carbon-absorbing sand – high school students tuned in from around the world. They participated in hands-on lab activities, added new software to their toolkits, and had difficult conversations about who is (and is not) included in the engineering space. They heard from experts in industry and academia from the fields of mechanical, civil, environmental, electrical/computer, biomedical, and chemical/biological engineering – as well as from figures in the entrepreneurship sector.

A post-program survey indicated that students left Engineering Investigations with a greater understanding of each engineering discipline and the opportunities that exist. From chatting with undergraduate facilitators and hearing from experts, students also look to college applications on the horizon with confidence in what they want from a school and the major they choose. While the virtual program was successful, Tufts CEEO is eager to plan for the in-person version next summer.