Boston University

27/08/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 28/08/2024 07:13

FIRE Program Returns to College of Engineering

FIRE Program Returns to College of Engineering

The First Inspiration in Research in Engineering program inspires high school students by offering a hands-on learning experience

Christian So (ENG'25) (right) working with high school student Logan Mainville during a First Inspiration in Research in Engineering (FIRE) program activity.

Engineering

FIRE Program Returns to College of Engineering

First Inspiration in Research in Engineering inspires high school students by offering a hands-on learning experience

August 27, 2024
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This summer, BU's College of Engineering hosted its third annual First Inspiration in Research in Engineering program, which provides an opportunity for high school students to jump into the world of innovation and pique their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The program was held in July over two weeklong sessions. High school students participated in interactive workshops that combined theoretical knowledge and practical experiences, guided and mentored by ENG undergraduates and recent graduates.

"The impetus of creating the program is to diversify the engineering pool and get people equitable access to higher education," says Michael Kelly, ENG's STEM outreach manager.

A number of this year's participants had also worked in the Calculus Project, an initiative aimed at dramatically increasing the number of low-income and students of color who complete advanced placement calculus in high school, according to the project website.

"We wanted to work with high school students who are affiliated with the Calculus Project, which works with students from under-resourced schools to bolster their skills, enthusiasm, and confidence in mathematics," says Pamela Audeh, ENG assistant dean of outreach and diversity.

This year's FIRE program featured activities ranging from a competition to make catapults to a machine learning workshop. Program organizers say the students learned how to build, design, and innovate in a lively and spirited environment of healthy competition.

At FIRE, ENG undergraduates like Jefferey Sheu (ENG'26) (standing) facilitate workshops and activities and act as mentors to the program's budding STEM researchers.

"The teachers give a lot of support if you don't understand something…they'll always be there to help you," says Ethan Chen, a rising sophomore at Wayland High School who has been a part of the Calculus Project for three years.

Chen, who plans to apply to medical programs in the future, adds that he wants to sign up for the FIRE program again next summer.

FIRE is sponsored by AMETEK, a global organization that works to strengthen educational programs in health, arts and culture, and STEM fields. AMETEK provided scholarship funding to half of FIRE's 2024 cohort.

This year, around 30 students signed up for the program-nearly double the participation during its first year-so it was broken down into two sessions to accommodate everyone.

"I feel like we are doing a lot of hands-on activities, and we have a lot of teachers to help us," Cohasset High School rising sophomore Sparrow Wilson says. Her favorite part of the program was building a catapult with her peers. "It kind of felt like we were actual engineers," she says.

Wilson, who wants to be an OB-GYN, adds that she wants to apply to BU.

"We are starting to see kids who are using this as a launching pad to try to get into the BU ecosystem and hopefully matriculate to BU as freshman engineers in the upcoming years," Kelly says.

The program, which ran Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm, was held at ENG's Bioengineering Technology & Entrepreneurship Center on Commonwealth Avenue.

According to Audeh, ENG hopes to offer the FIRE program every summer.

"We would love to expand it beyond two weeks," she says.

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  • Suryatapa Chakraborty (COM'25)

    Suryatapa Chakraborty (COM'25) Profile

  • Jackie Ricciardi

    Staff photojournalist

    Jackie Ricciardi is a staff photojournalist at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. She has worked as a staff photographer at newspapers that include the Augusta Chronicle in Augusta, Ga., and at Seacoast Media Group in Portsmouth, N.H., where she was twice named New Hampshire Press Photographer of the Year. Profile

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