Education & Community Outreach

2018

• Again, the NHERI WOW EF exhibit was displayed at the Museum of Discovery & Science (MODS), located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (http://www.mods.org/home.html) in February of 2018. The exhibit experience illustrates the effects of wind on different roof shapes, teaches the science of wind engineering, and shows the importance of mitigating your home. In addition, a design challenge was facilitated which included the construction of a building tower using paper and tape. The tower was tested using a portable fan to see if it will stand strong. Several pre-k and elementary students attended the event and were introduced to fundamental principles of wind-structure interaction.

• Three different public-school groups visited the WOW facilities during this time period. Students took a tour of the engineering campus, learning about the work of hurricane engineers through an interactive, media-rich lesson, received facility-safety training at the WOW, and were giving the opportunity to explore the WOW facility up-close. Dr. Remy Dou and a group of LAs helped to facilitate these visits, providing teachers with relevant curriculum to integrate into lessons prior to student visits.

• The FIU Engineering Expo is the college’s premier community outreach event organized annually. This year we welcomed more than 1,500 K-12 students from Miami Dade and Broward County Schools (elementary, middle and high schools) to the FIU Engineering Center to engage FIU students, researchers and staff, and to discover the endless possibilities of STEM. During the 2018 FIU Engineering Expo that was held on February 23 2018, several tours to the NHERI WOW EF were organized and hundreds of students had the chance to learn about the NHERI WOW EF activities and capabilities.

2017

• A group of three Learning Assistants (LAs) has been hired from a broad group of diverse students. The LAs are acting as critical change agents by facilitating active learning as well as critical students’ feed-back in active learning class ‘Hurricane Engineering and Global Sustainability’ for Fall 2017. A large number of undergraduate students (75) took this class for Fall 2017. The active learning classes, comprising of several small group of students working in team, are shown in the figure below. PI Chowdhury is continuously working with Education Research Specialist Dr. Remy Dou and the LAs to upgrade the classroom activities to enhance Active Learning outcomes. Dr. Dou has collected student survey results and is analyzing the same to facilitate publications.
  
  In addition, another group of LAs took Engineers on Wheels van to schools to engage K-12 students in grade-appropriate, interactive wind effect lessons, reflecting EF-enabled wind mitigation innovations. In the first visit to schools, the students were introduced to the NHERI WOW EF via an interactive PowerPoint presentation. The students actively participated while they were being taught the basics of hurricanes and wind engineering. They were also shown videos of tests that are done at the Wall of Wind, as well as the effect of wind on different types of structures. During the second visit, a small-scale wind tunnel was brought to the schools and different house models were tested. The house models were tested to record the wind’s velocity necessary to lift-up the roof (hinges on one side of the roof only). The LAs presented and discussed with the students how and why the wind affects each structure in different ways, as well as the causes of failing. In total, the Engineers on Wheels visited 6 schools and worked with 350 students from 5th to 8th grade during the reported period.

2016

• A group of Learning Assistants (LAs) has been hired from a broad group of diverse students. Two LAs acted as critical change agents by facilitating active learning as well as critical students’ feed-back in active learning class ‘Hurricane Engineering and Global Sustainability.’
  
  In addition, another group of LAs took Engineers on Wheels van to schools to engage K-12 students in grade-appropriate, interactive wind effect lessons, reflecting EF-enabled wind mitigation innovations. In the first visit to schools, the students were introduced to the NHERI WOW EF via an interactive PowerPoint presentation. The students actively participated while they were being taught the basics of hurricanes and wind engineering. They were also shown videos of tests that are done at the Wall of Wind, as well as the effect of wind on different types of structures. During the second visit, a small-scale wind tunnel was brought to the schools and different house models were tested. The house models were tested to record the wind’s velocity necessary to lift-up the roof (hinges on one side of the roof only). The LAs presented and discussed with the students how and why the wind affects each structure in different ways, as well as the causes of failing. In total, the Engineers on Wheels visited 5 schools during the reported period.