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Eighteen high school students will visit Lafayette Jan. 23 to work with John Greco, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and J. Ronald “Bud” Martin ’66, professor of chemical engineering.
Enrolled in Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School’s (BAVTS) one-year Academy of Applied Engineering program, the students sample each of the four B.S. engineering disciplines offered at Lafayette. The seniors are “dual enrolled” at their high school and at Lafayette for the spring semester. Upon successful completion they receive three credits for Lafayette’s “Introduction to Engineering” course.
This year’s participants are from a variety of high schools including Liberty, Freedom, Northampton, Nazareth, Bethlehem Catholic, and Saucon Valley.
Greco and Martin will do two, two-hour sessions with the students. During that time, the students will participate in hands-on activities in Lafayette’s laboratories which will give them a better idea of what engineers do in each of the different engineering disciplines.
Lafayette actively recruits students for the Academy of Applied Engineering. Students who apply must have completed certain levels of high school math and science courses and meet GPA requirements. Most of these students are ranked in the top of their classes and are very active at their high schools.
The department’s goal with the program is to clarify options for those who may not have seriously considered engineering before.
“The world will need more engineers in the future to deal with environmental, economic, and societal issues,” explains Mary J.S. Roth ’83, Simon Professor of civil and environmental engineering, interim associate provost, and director of engineering. “This program recruits students from various high schools and adds to the students’ knowledge of the different disciplines of engineering.”
The students will return to campus in May for another session. Lafayette and BAVTS have offered the Academy of Applied Engineering since fall 2001.