EPICS
Projects Categories |
Education
Access and Abilities
Human Services
Environment |
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Purdue University is the founding site and headquarters of
the EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service)
program. Since EPICS was established in 1995, thousands of
undergraduates have participated in university programs
nationally and internationally delivering projects to local
communities effecting countless lives. Since 2006 high
school students have also been participating in EPICS
completing innovative projects across the country. The EPICS
High program continues to grow and give more students this
amazing experience of working to design solutions that meet
real needs in their communities.
The motivation behind the EPICS program is to enable
pre-college age students to connect engineering and
computing design with people and local community needs.
While interest in engineering has been declining, civic
engagement among teenagers is near historic highs and many
honors diplomas now require service. EPICS is providing an
opportunity to tap into the wave of volunteerism while
working to interest more students in STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. Started in 2006,
EPICS received grant money from CNCS (Learn and Serve
America) to kick-off the EPICS High school program. The
EPICS program has since grown quickly to include not only
hight school students but also middle school, upper
elementary and extra-curricular programs. Included in the
mission of the EPICS program is outreach to underrepresented
minority populations. EPICS is showing impact in these areas
with high percentages of females and minorities, as well as
free and reduced lunch students participating in the
program.
In the EPICS program, students work in teams and partner
with a not-for-profit organization. Students design projects
to meet the needs of this community partner enabling them to
better serve residents in the local community. Partnerships
are key to the EPICS program. The EPICS model involves the
reciprocity of benefits of student, community and mentors.
The community partners serve as the customers, corporate and
higher education partners serve as mentor to the students
offering expertise, and additional partnerships through
foundations and philanthropic organizations offer financial
and/or material support as needed.
EPICS continues to create a variety of model programs to
replicate throughout the nation. Current models include;
urban, suburban, and rural schools, as well as programs
after school, within the school day, and as part of an
existing course. It is the creation of this variety of
program models that enables the EPICS Program to
successfully replicate and expand across the country.
As with the university EPICS program, community partner
projects fall in four broad areas of interest:
Education, Access and Abilities, Human Services, Environment
excerpt taken from:
EPICS @ Purdue |