Kids in Construction (KIC): An Introduction of STEM Related Careers in Construction Management
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 201
Start Date
21-5-2015
End Date
21-5-2015
Keywords
Construction Management, STEM, Education
Abstract
There is a growing need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) related jobs all around the world. Students from all areas of Washington were brought to Central Washington University’s Construction Management program funded by the MOSAIC GEAR-UP program to be engaged in a three-day camp. Kids in Construction (KIC) introduced forty middle-school students in the sixth to ninth grades to the basic elements of what real constructors are engaged in on a daily basis. Students in the camp were introduced to large heavy equipment at the Ellensburg Operators Training Facility, shown a building in the process of being constructed on the Central Washington University campus, built coffee-2-coffee houses in teams provided by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), constructed concrete pavers by mixing and placing concrete into forms, and built and tested balsa wood bridges to test the students’ engineering skills. These activities tested the students’ management, communication, and teamwork skills; provided a hands-on environment to expose students to the means and methods of construction materials, processes, methods, and equipment; and tested students’ engineering and mathematical skills. A central focus of this project was to expose students to an area related to STEM which showcases the basic learning elements commonly found in Construction Management education and related jobs to students at an early age. This research will present on how the curriculum was developed and presented as well as provide a commentary on future areas of research related to the KIC camp.
Recommended Citation
Plugge, Warren, "Kids in Construction (KIC): An Introduction of STEM Related Careers in Construction Management" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 74.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/oralpresentations/74
Department/Program
Engineering Technologies, Safety, & Construction
Additional Mentoring Department
Engineering Technologies, Safety, & Construction
Kids in Construction (KIC): An Introduction of STEM Related Careers in Construction Management
SURC 201
There is a growing need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematic (STEM) related jobs all around the world. Students from all areas of Washington were brought to Central Washington University’s Construction Management program funded by the MOSAIC GEAR-UP program to be engaged in a three-day camp. Kids in Construction (KIC) introduced forty middle-school students in the sixth to ninth grades to the basic elements of what real constructors are engaged in on a daily basis. Students in the camp were introduced to large heavy equipment at the Ellensburg Operators Training Facility, shown a building in the process of being constructed on the Central Washington University campus, built coffee-2-coffee houses in teams provided by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), constructed concrete pavers by mixing and placing concrete into forms, and built and tested balsa wood bridges to test the students’ engineering skills. These activities tested the students’ management, communication, and teamwork skills; provided a hands-on environment to expose students to the means and methods of construction materials, processes, methods, and equipment; and tested students’ engineering and mathematical skills. A central focus of this project was to expose students to an area related to STEM which showcases the basic learning elements commonly found in Construction Management education and related jobs to students at an early age. This research will present on how the curriculum was developed and presented as well as provide a commentary on future areas of research related to the KIC camp.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Warren Plugge