Hands On Science Workshops
Faculty Lead: Dr. Steve Jacobs
Outreach Type: PK–12
The Hands On Science workshops were a series of Saturday morning engineering outreach events hosted in Benedum Hall and organized through the Swanson School of Engineering Diversity Office.
These events brought area high school students to Pitt for hands-on engineering challenges designed to introduce foundational concepts in electrical and computer engineering.
The ECE component of the program focused on digital logic and circuit design. Participating students built functional traffic-light models on breadboards using red, yellow, and green LEDs to understand sequencing, timing, and fundamental logic operations. Members of Eta Kappa Nu (HKN), the ECE honor society, served as mentors, guiding students through the implements and discussing academic pathways in engineering.
Although the program is no longer active, it served as an important model for hands-on PK–12 engagement and provided meaningful leadership experiences for ECE student volunteers.
Impact and Learning Outcomes
Participants gained:
- Introductory experience designing and wiring digital logic circuits
- Understanding of sequencing through a practical traffic-light control model
- Opportunities to work directly with engineering student mentors
- Exposure to the Pitt engineering community and campus facilities
HKN students benefitted from leadership development, mentoring experience, and opportunities to support STEM engagement among local youth.
Support
- Program organized by the SSOE Diversity Office
- ECE circuit activities guided by HKN student volunteers
- Hosted at Benedum Hall