What is IEEE?
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) was founded in 1884 by leading electrical engineers like Edison, Westinghouse, Bell and Tesla. It is a not-forprofit technical and professional society with the mission to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. Today it has over 400,000 members worldwide, with 14,000 in Canada. Canada is Region 7 within the IEEE which has a total of 10 regions globally.
What is STEM Outreach?
The IEEE has a Pre-University Education initiative that connects IEEE volunteers with pre-university educators and students. Our volunteers share their real-world experiences, and demonstrate engineering, science and mathematics concepts. In Region 7 (Canada) this is name STEM Outreach. It was previously called Teacher In-
Service Program (TISP), but renamed to reflect a broader approach
Service Program (TISP), but renamed to reflect a broader approach
Why STEM Outreach?
There is much concern about Canada’s international ranking among the OECD countries in teaching science and math; university enrolment in science and math is declining; and in today’s changing society, technical literacy is becoming more important than ever. Therefore, it is important to encourage K-12 students to take a greater interest in science and engineering.
What does STEM Outreach do?
STEM Outreach volunteers offer workshops to both IEEE volunteers and teachers and provide a wide range of very detailed lesson plans. They can be accessed for free on the web (www.tryengineering.org). These lesson plans include hands-on activities designed to encourage students in the art of problem-solving. At this time we have about 150 lesson plans available. Volunteers also help teachers directly in the classroom using these activities and use these with other organizations working with children e.g. museums, scouts and guides. Last year, TryEngineering recorded over 8 million downloads. In addition to English, selected lesson plans have been translated to several other languages. There are also other resources for teachers, parents, and students
STEM Outreach in Canada
STEM Outreach in Canada began its journey in 2009 as TISP as noted above. IEEE
Canada has 21 Sections, as shown in the map, with 12 sections currently involved in
STEM Outreach activities. Our activities include teacher workshops, classroom visits
(virtual at the moment), support of science and technology fairs, organizing design
competitions, and any STEM-related initiative. STEM Outreach is a work in
progress and welcomes the active participation of all Canadian IEEE Sections.
Canada has 21 Sections, as shown in the map, with 12 sections currently involved in
STEM Outreach activities. Our activities include teacher workshops, classroom visits
(virtual at the moment), support of science and technology fairs, organizing design
competitions, and any STEM-related initiative. STEM Outreach is a work in
progress and welcomes the active participation of all Canadian IEEE Sections.
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