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California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Geotechnical engineering; Teaching methods; Engineering education; Schools
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Soils Magic: Bringing Civil Engineering To The K–12 Classroom, David J. Elton, James Hanson, David M. Shannon
Soils Magic: Bringing Civil Engineering To The K–12 Classroom, David J. Elton, James Hanson, David M. Shannon
Civil and Environmental Engineering
An investigation was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a series of kindergarten through 12th grade (K–12) educational outreach activities related to civil engineering. In particular, a program called Soils Magic that contains a series of simple geotechnical engineering experiments was delivered in various formats to K–12 students. This paper provides an overview of the Soils Magic program and provides further details of selected experiments from the program. This paper highlights the experiences of various civil engineering professors bringing the program to school children to promote the excitement and accessibility of the engineering profession. Suggestions are provided for conducting successful …