A LAMP-LEGO Experience of Motivating Minority Students to Study Engineering

摘要

In this paper, I would like to share my experience with Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation Program (LAMP) in which I participated as a faculty mentor from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. This program is aimed at improving the education level and the standards of education in certain areas where students are not encouraged to go to college or take basic sciences and engineering as their career. This is due to either lack of financial resources or lack of focus and motivation on part of the students, which in turn is due to several social problems probing into poverty and crimes' vicious circle. I have served in this program as a faculty mentor from an elite university and have made the students from minority colleges to participate directly with my own senior and graduate students to encourage them as to how they can be of the same caliber. Other than inter-personal skills, the use of Lego Mindstorm Robotics Invention system has shown a great increase in motivation and focusing the students towards Engineering Education.