Of course not. Yet, many high school seniors are expected to make college and career decisions based on limited information and experiences, said Dr. John Helferty, professor and chair of electrical engineering . The five-week course, funded by NASA's Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, introduces students to basic concepts while also providing extensive laboratory experience.
Participants earn two college credits for their work.
Now in its fourth year, the program was developed by Helferty, along with electrical engineering professors Dr. Brian Butz, a past chairman, and Dr. Dennis Silage. Helferty, who teaches mostly introductory classes, decided to create the program after asking his students how they became interested in engineering. While they're here, they're regular Temple students, with full use of facilities, the libraries and other resources. They come here, get to know the strength of our engineering programs, and many see that this is not the campus that maybe they envisioned. Five past participants said they chose to attend Temple as a direct result of the high school program, according to Helferty.