Volunteer Opportunities in Education

IEEE-USA Directory of Volunteer
Opportunities in Pre-College
Mathematics and Science Education

Publication of this Directory is sponsored by IEEE United States of America (IEEE - USA). IEEE-USA promotes the career and technology policy interests of electrical, electronics and computer engineers, addressing matters of economic, ethical, legislative and social concern through its office in Washington, D.C. Activities include technical and non-technical testimony before Congress, support of a Congressional Fellows Program, and extensive liaison with Executive agencies, as well as programs related to employment assistance and career development.

About the Directory

This is a directory of education-related programs that seek to improve math, science, and technology education at the pre-college level. Its purpose is to provide information on programs that rely on volunteer help and encourage individual participation. The programs listed are established, ongoing efforts that are nationally coordinated but operate locally in various cities. All of the programs are heavily dependent upon volunteers at the local level for their human resources. While the Directory outlines a broad spectrum of opportunities for volunteers who would like to become involved in math, science, or technology education programs, it specifically excludes scholarships, internships, and other programs that require financial contributions by volunteers or sponsoring employers.

Technical professionals in all disciplines of science, engineering, and technology will find the Directory useful. Professional society membership is not required, nor is a college degree always a prerequisite. Some opportunities for college students are listed.

Why Volunteer?

Numerous recent studies issued by government and private sources have warned that our nation's future hinges on having an ample supply of people who achieve in mathematics and science, are science literate, and perform technical jobs with world-class competence. These studies urge Americans to become involved in local public school education, to participate in education- and guidance-related community projects, and to volunteer to serve as a tutor, mentor, or role model. It is particularly incumbent upon the technical professional societies to encourage their members to participate in these activities.

In the United States, engineering professional societies have more than a million members, many of whom are involved in pre-college education-related volunteer activities, individually or through programs sponsored by their local chapters, often in cooperation with other professional organizations. Volunteer activities include:

participating in career days, National Engineers Week teach-ins, and student competitions;
interacting with local and state School Boards and University Boards of Regents to work toward more stringent standards and requirements; and
interacting with state legislators and U.S. Representatives or Senators at their local offices, in order to encourage their support of changes in education policy.

For every volunteer who is involved, however, there are scores of others who may be unaware of the opportunities that exist.

How to Use This Directory

The Directory provides information on both programs and specific volunteer responsibilities so that users may choose the opportunity that best suits their interests and skills. A short narrative describes each program and the opportunities it offers for volunteer participation. For quick reference, a matrix lists the programs, the intended audience and grade level, the specific tasks that a volunteer may be asked to perform, the time commitment involved, and any special qualifications required of the volunteer.

[Note: The matrix is available only in the printed version of the Directory. The matrix lists typical areas of volunteer responsibility, which include: mentoring, tutoring, technical presentations, career presentations, club activities, field trips, administrative support, contest judging, contest question development, post-contest programs, curriculum reform, materials development, and teacher training.]

To obtain more information on a program, including the name of the local coordinator in your area, contact the person listed in the narrative section. Be sure to mention that you saw the program listed in the IEEE-USA Directory of Volunteer Opportunities.

National Programs With Community-Level Operations

Alliances are composed of business/industry representatives, educators, and science and engineering professionals who come together with a common goal of encouraging and supporting science, mathematics, and technology education.
: Students use amateur radio to enhance their learning in all fields. Volunteers teach or demonstrate amateur radio principles and do individual tutoring. Classes may obtain an Amateur Radio License.
: This program is for minority girls who are juniors and seniors in high school and have an aptitude for math and science but need encouragement to consider careers in engineering. Volunteers develop a one-on-one relationship with individual girls, tutor them as needed, and provide career information. SWE has two other mentoring programs that focus on middle school and high school minority female students.
: This program brings together representatives of business, labor, government, education, and the professions to advance educational reform at the elementary and secondary level, as well as in post-secondary and adult education programs. Volunteers work through a formal structure, such as an Industry-Education Council, to revise curriculum, upgrade instructional materials and equipment, improve educational management, and train professional school staff.
: Practicing engineers volunteer to make classroom presentations on engineering as a career and become role models or mentors for Personal Skills Assessments and Career Development Courses in middle school, junior high, and senior high schools.
: Founded by the families of the seven Challenger astronauts, the Challenger Center offers teachers innovative, space-based curricula designed to engage middle school students in hands-on science, motivating them to study math and science and to contemplate careers in science and engineering. Challenger Learning Centers--a nationwide network of high tech, educational spaceflight simulators--are central to Challenger Center programs. Volunteers are needed to help with curriculum development, contribute technical advice and expertise, inform educators about Challenger Center programs, and support local Learning Centers.
: This program helps increase computer access for minorities, women, and the disabled, from preschoolers to young adults. It also provides middle-school math programs for students and their parents, teachers, and counselors. Volunteers lead computer classes or workshops, teach math or science using hands-on materials, recruit participants or speakers for seminars or conferences, plan seminars, make presentations, raise funds, and develop evaluation instruments.
: Local ANS Sections recruit volunteers to speak at career days in the schools, judge science fairs, conduct workshops for teachers, set up and staff exhibits at teachers' meetings, etc.
: Engineering Explorer Posts give young men and women an opportunity to learn about the requirements of engineering careers. Post programs include a variety of projects, such as hands-on experiments, tours, and speakers. Volunteers make career presentations and conduct pertinent activities or demonstrations at Explorer Post meetings. The program is endorsed by The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
: This program organizes annual one-day conferences for girls in the 6th through 12th grades to demonstrate how math and science are used in the workplace and to encourage the study of basic math and science courses in middle and high school. Volunteers help organize the events, participate in panels, and lead hands-on activities for the girls and their parents.
: Volunteers serve as role models, answer questions, suggest strategies, and provide career counseling to disabled students interested in engineering, science, and technology.
: 4-H Sci/Tech activities are available to urban and suburban as well as rural youth. Delivery modes include school enrichment, community clubs, and special projects such as Adventures in Science. Volunteer opportunities include mentoring a single group of children each week, acting as a resource to teen leaders teaching science, training other scientists how to help children learn science, doing demonstrations in a school enrichment program, or serving on an advisory board of a coalition of community-based science organizations.
: FSEA is a structured program in which mentors (engineers and scientists) and teachers work together with students in grades 4 through 12 on exciting, afterschool, hands-on projects. The projects, developed for the FSEA structure by mentors from real-world industry applications, stress innovation, competitiveness, teamwork, and cost awareness. FSEA members advance from technician to research engineer and scientist. Each FSEA chapter is sponsored by a company, professional society, or community organization. The objective is to motivate all students to excel in math and science and to bring more females and minorities into engineering and science. Volunteer engineers and scientists, active and retired, are needed both as mentors and to develop real-world projects.
: Projects explore different types of involvement by reinforcing positive values and using action strategies to plan activities and workshops with a positive impact on the ecological systems of the environment. Volunteers make career presentations, demonstrate principles of science, and provide technical assistance on projects.
: This project familiarizes girls with various math and science disciplines and shows them career possibilities in these fields. Volunteers make career presentations, demonstrate science and engineering principles, and provide technical assistance on projects.
: This is a program for 8th to 12th grade minority girls to encourage them to consider engineering careers. It consists of a one-day apprenticeship and a one-week residential summer program. Volunteer functions may be short- or long-term and vary from teaching, chaperoning, and being a role model to developing curriculum, planning, and coordinating.
: The ISEF is held annually with more than 750 student contestants from more than 400 affiliated fairs in the United States and abroad. It culminates a selection process involving thousands of school and regional fairs. Volunteers may support these preliminary science fairs by serving as judges, making career presentations, providing awards, mentoring, making technical presentations, and offering tours or field trips to local industries. Judges also are needed in cities where the international fair is held each year.
: This project links community-based, advocacy, and service organizations with scientists and engineers to work toward improving K-12 science and math education for girls, minorities, and students with disabilities. Volunteers apply their expertise to setting up in-school and after-school math and science programs for students and their teachers, counselors, and parents. They also work on increasing public awareness.
: MATHCOUNTS is a junior high school mathematics coaching and competition program modeled after an athletic competition. Volunteers assist teachers by coaching a school team. They also organize and staff local competitions, raise funds, and proctor exams.
: NACME has published a guide to more than 100 precollege programs across the United States that are targeted to minority students. Volunteer opportunities of all kinds are listed. Volunteers may phone NACME for reference to specific programs, or they may purchase a copy of the guide.
: NEAS is a test of engineering aptitude administered at sites throughout the country. Volunteers serve as exam organizers and/or proctors and conduct post-exam programs for the participants (presentations, booths, etc.). Volunteers also may "Support One Student" (SOS) by sponsoring them in taking the exam.
: In this contest, high school students design and build a "product" related to an engineering design problem and specific scenario. Volunteers help develop problems, organize the competitions, serve as advising engineers to teams, or conduct post-competition programs for the participants (presentations, booths, etc.).
: Engineers go into their local schools during National Engineers Week in February each year and talk to classes about the contributions of engineering to society and the type of work that engineers do. Ideas for hands-on activities and audio-visual materials are included in a packet sent to participating engineers by National Engineers Week Headquarters.

National Engineers Week Future City Competition�, 1420 King St., Alexandria,
VA 22314. (www.futurecity.org) Contact: Carol Rieg, +1 877-636 9578 or CRieg@futurecity.org

The mission of the National Engineers Week Future City Competition is to provide a fun and exciting educational engineering program for eventh- and eighth-grade students that combines a stimulating engineering challenge with a "hands-on" application to present their vision of a city of the future. Students work with an engineer-mentor in a team-based format.

NSVP aims to involve scientists, mathematicians, engineers and other technical people with precollege teachers and students in a variety of cooperatively planned activities through community-based programs designed around locally identified needs and resources.
: This international competition challenges school teams to solve a spontaneous problem and a long-term problem, with extra points given for style (enhancement of the solution). The problems may be engineering or performance-oriented. Teams compete on local or state/provincial levels. Teams winning each state/provincial final advance to the World Finals competition, held annually. Volunteers serve as state program administrators, individual contest organizers, coaches, and judges. Membership package includes annual long-term problems and curriculum materials.
: This program involves girls in hands-on experiences; encourages questioning and prediction; offers them opportunities to build, take things apart, and try things they've never tried before; and gives them an understanding of what scientists do. Volunteers serve as role models, arrange mentorships and field trips, and assist in hands-on activities at club sites.
: This journal is the only English language serial publication devoted exclusively to the critical review of science and math books and AV materials for all educational levels, kindergarten through college. Volunteers review new trade books, textbooks, and reference works, as well as new science and math films, videos, and filmstrips.
: This contest involves elementary, middle school, and secondary students in class/team projects to prepare them for local, state, and national competitions in some 20 areas of science. Volunteers serve as contest organizers, coaches, judges, timekeepers, or scorekeepers.
: Volunteers from every scientific discipline are needed to record texts for the use of print-impaired students, scientists, and engineers. Volunteers must have an understanding of the field in order to describe illustrations, graphs, and diagrams.
: Volunteers conduct monthly activities with middle school students using math and science skills as an introduction to engineering. Activities include assemblies, field trips, tours, and career days.
: Teams of high school students take a test relating math and science to engineering. Volunteers write questions, score tests, help organize the competitions, or conduct post-exam programs for the participants (presentations, booths, etc.).
: Volunteers are needed to review general science and social studies texts, grades K-12, for the accuracy of their content on nuclear science and technology.
: Through a multi-tiered selection process consisting of examinations and competitions, four U.S. high school students are selected to compete as a team in the International Chemistry Olympiad in Europe each summer. Volunteers at the local level lecture or tutor students before they take the exams.
: This national contest recognizes vocational students who excel in some 40 technical/vocational areas, including electronics technology and electronic products servicing. Volunteers help organize and staff local competitions and serve as judges. Winning students advance to the International Youth Skill Olympics in selected areas.

Locally Operated Programs

In addition to the nationally coordinated programs listed in this directory, volunteer opportunities also may be found in the wealth of smaller, locally operated precollege education programs that exist in a number of cities.

Copies of this publication are available free of charge from IEEE-USA, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 1202, Washington, DC 20036-5104, telephone (202) 785-0017, fax (202) 785-0835.

Last Updated: March 9, 1999 (Content unchanged since 1995)
Staff Contact: Sandra Kim, sandra.kim@ieee.org

Copyright � 1999 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
Permission to copy granted for non-commercial uses with appropriate attribution.