Teaching Young Engineers

Lured by the prospects of engineering as a child, beginning with constructing cardboard tanks, building with LEGO™ bricks, and playing with model trains, James McLurkin realized the value of introducing engineering, science and technology to people at a young age.

McLurkin has become an active leader in helping kids discover engineering and develop their education in this arena. In 2001 he joined the core staff of the Saturday Engineering Enrichment and Discovery (SEED) Academy, a hands-on curriculum program designed to enrich academia for underserved students in local high schools. It teaches principles from engineering fields such as civil, chemical, computer science, mechanical and more, with the intent to excite and expose students to careers in these areas.

At SEED, McLurkin’s role is constantly evolving through teaching varying classes each semester. He has taught mechanical, civil and aero-astro engineering, in addition to a class about renewable energy. For the 2004-05 academic year, he is teaching computer science and robotics.

McLurkin has designed his classes to reflect his core teaching philosophies:
• Motivate students to learn theories through real-world examples
• Encourage independence and enthusiasm with early hands-on project involvement
• Create infinite fun in the classroom

Toys and gadgets abound in his classes to enliven the mundane notes of a lesson plan. Teaching physics while jumping on his BMX bike, imitating insect flight dynamics while donning paper bags on his arms, or constructing bridges while conducting model trains, have all proved successful tactics to invoke the curiosity of students. According to McLurkin, “It can be better to craft your own lecture demo than to look for ready-made examples. But you have to learn how to build your own toys and also work quickly.”

Apart from all the fun in presenting lectures, McLurkin has found it rewarding to be a mentor to young students. The ultimate excitement and gratification often comes at the end of a semester, when students reveal that they would like to pursue further education in the field and eventually join the ranks of engineers themselves.

In addition to teaching at the MIT SEED Academy from 2002-2005, McLurkin taught physics for MIT’s Project Interphase, a two month program administered by the Office of Minority Education for incoming freshman to ease their transition to MIT, including academics and community building opportunities.

Courses Taught:

• Physics, MIT Interphase Summer Program, Summer 1995
• Physics, MIT Interphase Summer Program, Summer 1996
• Engineering, MIT Integrated Studies Program Curriculum Module, Fall 1996
• Physics, MIT Interphase Summer Program, Summer 1997
• Physics, MIT Interphase Summer Program, Summer 1999
• Mechanical Engineering, MIT SEED Academy, Spring 2002
• Civil Engineering, MIT SEED Academy, Fall 2002
• Aero/Astro Engineering, MIT SEED Academy, Spring 2003
• Civil Engineering, MIT SEED Academy, Fall 2003
• Renewable Energy, MIT SEED Academy, Spring 2004
• Computer Science, MIT SEED Academy, Fall 2004

Presentations

McLurkin's presentations could be described as "very animated lectures". He has received many requests to make his slides availible, so he has converted some of his recent presentations to PDF files. Remember, these are presentations, not lecture notes, so many of the slides are just an image or two to compliment his speaking.

"Swarm in a Nutshell"
Audience: Grades 7-22
Goal: A brief introduction to Swarms of Robots.

"What Do Robots Do?"
Audience: Grades 3-6
Goal: To encourage thinking about the types of jobs that real robots are good at.
Description: Each slide initially only shows a picture of the robot. The audience is asked to name the robot and its job. It starts with Hollywood robots, then progresses to real robots, culminating in a live demo with the Swarm and a live demo. In three years, only a group of 4th graders at Starbase Robins has gotten them all correct!

James McLurkin