Professors, dean reach out to local schools

Faculty members in the George R. Brown School of Engineering connected with local underserved high schools this past semester to help generate student enthusiasm about science, math, engineering and technology.

Through the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy’s new Civic Scientist Program, Dan Mittleman, electrical and computer engineering, Steve Cox, computational and applied mathematics, and Sallie Keller-McNulty, William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering and statistics professor, visited area high schools and interacted with students.

Mittleman spoke at the E-STEM Academy at Jake Yates Senior High School in Houston, sharing information about his research activities under way at Rice.

Cox spoke to students in a math class, also at the academy, discussing the WRAP (Worthing Rice Apprenticeship Program), an after school/weekend outreach effort he sponsors at Evan E. Worthing Senior High School.

Keller-McNulty spoke about her role in science and technology and overcoming barriers to students at two schools, Lone Star College and the Harmony Science Academy in Houston.

The Civic Scientist Program has part of its mission to involve faculty in community outreach with local underserved schools. It also hosts a series of talks at Rice by leading scientists from around the country.

Dwight Daniels, Engineering Communications