Now in their third year, the IEEE TryEngineering educator sessions continue to empower preuniversity teachers with specialized professional development programs focused on advanced engineering topics and classroom-tested lessons. Administered by IEEE Educational Activities, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between complex modern technologies and foundational classroom learning by giving educators the tools they need to inspire the next generation of innovators.
This year’s sessions, held across the United States alongside an international installment in Egypt, have focused primarily on educating teachers about artificial intelligence and semiconductor technology. In total, 54 educators learned about the engineering design process this year. They received comprehensive overviews of various TryEngineering resources, including specific pedagogical assets such as the "Making of a Microchip" and "Train Your Tree" lesson plans. Building on this momentum, workshops are also scheduled for later this year in Greece and Guatemala, signaling continued growth for the global initiative.
The current year’s sessions built directly upon the success and momentum from last year, when nearly 80 teachers attended sessions across five U.S. states and Mexico with financial support from Onsemi’s Giving Now program. Driven by that initial success and a high demand for more professional development opportunities, the IEEE Educational Activities Board continued its steadfast support, allowing the program to expand its reach and impact.
A network of host universities
Central to the educator session program’s ongoing success is its robust network of host universities. Host campuses welcome teachers directly into their cutting-edge facilities, where university faculty provide essential background information about the technologies being taught. These academics also discuss potential engineering career paths and emerging job opportunities, giving teachers valuable insights that they can pass along to their students.
This year’s sessions actively involved educators in hands-on projects designed to demystify complex subjects. Facilitators at each location were carefully selected based on their extensive experience in engineering education, working closely with TryEngineering staff to refine their presentations and ensure maximum classroom applicability.
GEMS International School
Sixteen teachers representing nine different schools participated in the session held in Cairo, Egypt, hosted at GEMS International School. The workshop was facilitated by Marwa Soudi, an IEEE member, and Senior Member Stamatis Dragoumanos, both of whom are past chairs of the IEEE preuniversity coordinating committee.
According to Soudi and Dragoumanos, GEMS provided outstanding STEM facilities for the visiting teachers. During the multi-day event, participants received an in-depth overview of the "Working With Wind Energy" and "Tall Tower Challenge" lesson plans, equipping them with fresh ideas for their science and engineering curricula. An additional educator session is scheduled to take place at the location later this year.
University of Florida
Educators from across the state of Florida gathered at the university’s Florida Semiconductor Institute, headquartered in Gainesville, as well as FSI’s NeoCity high-tech manufacturing campus near Orlando. The immersive session was hosted by Roseanne Perez, an FSI workforce development program specialist, and Sophia Watson, FSI’s assistant director of workforce development.
The two-day experience featured an exclusive, inside look at microelectronics through a guided tour of a SkyWater Technology chip manufacturing facility. Engineering instructor Mary Acken facilitated hands-on lesson demonstrations for the 15 attending teachers, showing them how to translate high-level industrial processes into accessible classroom activities.
Reflecting on the workshop’s profound impact, one participant noted that the SkyWater tour was exceptionally well-organized, the instructors were engaging, and the teachers thoroughly enjoyed learning alongside a community of like-minded educators.
Arizona State University
At Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, Michael Kozicki, an IEEE member, and Stefan Myhajlenko from the university’s engineering school welcomed 11 Arizona teachers. The session was skillfully facilitated by Janet Hartkopf, an Arizona school leader and a former TryEngineering educator session participant herself.
Hartkopf emphasized the vital importance of collaborative learning, the necessity of bringing diverse perspectives into engineering education, and the myriad career paths available to students today. The attending teachers received direct instruction on how to effectively implement hands-on lessons in their own classrooms and took a guided tour of the university’s NanoFab facility to observe active microelectronics research firsthand.
The workshop resonated deeply with the participants. One attendee who leads an elementary after-school STEM club remarked that the training was amazing, praising the hands-on lessons and e-books that would immediately find a home in their classroom. The participant expressed excitement about exploring the extensive repository of resources available on the TryEngineering website and commended the ASU experts for a stellar presentation.
University of Minnesota
Sixteen STEM educators attended the session hosted at the university’s International Institute for Biosensing in Minneapolis. Its director, Patricia Khashayar, an IEEE member, introduced the participants to the advanced capabilities of the university’s Supercomputing Institute and Nano Center.
Under the expert guidance of Claire Dietz, an education and outreach coordinator, and Pam Schumacher, an instructor at St. Paul College, the teachers completed classroom-ready lessons, which included a photonics experiment utilizing the specialized equipment at the Nano Center. Schumacher herself had attended last year’s TryEngineering educator session, bringing a valuable perspective to the cohort.
Sarah Swisher, an IEEE senior member and director of the Nano Center, provided a comprehensive overview of semiconductor operations while highlighting the rapidly growing job opportunities available for young people in the state. Inspired by the depth of the experience, all 16 participating teachers announced plans to organize student field trips back to the Nano Center during the upcoming academic year.
Echoing the sentiments of participants across the globe, one attendee called it a great class and expressed enthusiasm for bringing TryEngineering materials back to their school.
Throughout all the regional and international sessions, participating teachers consistently highlighted the immense value of collaborating with their peers on strategies to implement hands-on lessons effectively. Many established ongoing connections with the university experts and laid the groundwork for future campus tours and follow-up visits. As upcoming global sessions prepare to launch, the IEEE TryEngineering program continues to broaden its international footprint, ensuring that educators worldwide are well-equipped to guide the next generation of engineers. Those interested in learning more about the educator sessions can reach out directly to TryEngineering via email.
