Engage! 9 High School Students Win OU Engineering Scholarships at Open House

Unpredictable weather couldn’t stop Oklahoma high school students from learning about engineering principles and concepts at the Gallogly College of Engineering’s 110th Engineering Open House on March 4. 

More than 300 high school students attended the event that helped students explore engineering concepts with their teachers before even enrolling in college, says Dalton Brasington, coordinator of engineering outreach and recruitment. “This year, student teams designed, prototyped and tested a device in advance and then brought their best-performing product to campus to compete against other teams,” he said.

Each Engineering Design Challenge winner received an OU Engineering scholarship. They are: Egg Drop: Layne Spaulding and Josiah Medina (Mid-America Technology Center); Design, Build, Fly Glider: Josue Chapa (Great Plains Technology Center); Model Bridge: Abigail Allison and Samantha Groves (Bridge Creek High School; and Recycling Sorter: Caleaha Sparks, Eren Tecimer, Evan Shepherd and Micah Shoemake (Moore Norman Technology Center).

Students from Altus, Buffalo, Duncan, Lawton, Maud, Moore, Norman, Oklahoma City, Purcell, Tahlequah, Tulsa and Vian, and 10 other communities from across the state participated in a variety of activities. Under the tutelage of engineering faculty and students, they designed a roller coaster, studied how building materials react to weather conditions or programmed a robot. 

“Seeing students draw connections to everyday engineering is powerful. When we talk about what building materials are better or worse for withstanding a hailstorm, students immediately connect with that,” said Dylan Portillo, OU chemical engineering senior.

The Engineering Open House is one of several precollegiate programs hosted by the Office of Engineering Pathways, says Susan Walden, executive director of the Engineering Pathways program. “Our events include campus visits, summer camps and much more. They allow students to gain an understanding of what engineering is and what they could pursue when they come to college,” she said.

Randa Shehab, the college's senior associate dean of academic affairs added, “Creating pathways for students to learn about engineering is vitally important. The Engineering Pathways program helps equip the next generation of Oklahoma students with the tools for choosing and graduating an engineer.”

The Engineering Open House is one way that the Gallogly College of Engineering supports STEM learning across Oklahoma. Activities are hosted by the Engineering Pathways office, the Boggs Family Sooner Engineering Education Center ambassadors, OU student volunteers and various engineering student organizations. 

This year's sponsors included McAlister’s Deli and Underground Printing Norman. The OU Office of Admissions and Recruitment also provided high school students with information about financial aid and the university’s admissions process. 

Learn more about K-12 outreach programs at www.ou.edu/coe/K-12 or email dbrasington@ou.edu.