e4usa Liaisons
e4usa Liaison Role
Liaisons are a vital component of the e4usa program, pairing each teacher with an engineering professional who brings real-world expertise directly into the classroom. This partnership bridges the gap between education, research, and industry, enriching students' understanding of engineering concepts. For engineers, it’s a meaningful opportunity to give back to their communities and inspire the next generation. Join us as a liaison to make a lasting impact on students’ lives and the future of engineering education.
Time Commitment
The liaison role typically involves about 3 hours per month, though this may vary depending on the teacher's needs. There are no mandatory commitments, but teachers may require more support, particularly during the spring semester.
Liaison Activities
As an e4usa liaison, you have the flexibility to engage in a variety of enriching activities throughout the academic year, including:
- Classroom Visits: Visit classrooms to share your engineering expertise and real-world experiences with students.
- Host Site Visits: Invite teachers and students to visit your company or campus, providing them with insight into engineering careers and practices.
- Project Feedback: Offer feedback on student engineering design projects to help them refine and improve their work.
- Collaborate with Colleagues: Bring in colleagues from your network to provide specialized expertise or guidance in areas relevant to student projects.
- Design Problem Discussions: Help teachers develop effective engineering design problems for their students, guided by e4usa's design rubric.
- Event Participation: Judge student design prototypes at e4usa events such as the "Design-a-Thon" or "Engineering Design Showcase."
- Expand Connections: Connect e4usa with your social and professional networks and explore ways to engage corporate social responsibility initiatives at your company in support of engineering education.
Monthly Support and Community
We believe in providing ongoing support to our liaisons. To assist you throughout the year:
- Optional Office Hours: Join monthly office hours with our Executive Director, Stacy Klein-Gardner, to discuss your progress, ask questions, or get advice.
- Curriculum Updates: Receive monthly emails that include curriculum updates and activity suggestions, ensuring you stay connected and informed about what's happening in the classroom.
- Collaborative Partnership: You and your paired teacher will work together to customize the level of support and frequency of engagement that suits the needs of their classroom.
Your Role and Expectations
As a liaison, your role is crucial in bridging real-world engineering with classroom learning. Your responsibilities include:
- Participate in Professional Development (PD) Sessions: Attend PD sessions to gain an understanding of the e4usa curriculum and how best to support your teacher.
- Offer Expertise: Serve as a resource for teachers by providing design problems, mentoring, and offering specialized engineering expertise.
- Classroom Engagement: Visit the classroom at least once per month to interact with students and provide guidance on their projects.
Interested in Partnering with Us?
Contact Information
For more information or any questions, please contact us at info@e4usa.org.
What Our Liaisons Are Saying
This is my third year serving as a liaison for e4usa, but it feels like I just started as a liaison yesterday. The e4usa leadership team has done a great job creating a support structure and network that makes the liaisons' lives easier, and as a result, the workload is very light. Much more importantly, serving with e4usa is very rewarding. It’s a lot of fun to help students see what the engineering discipline is all about and help them take the first steps into the engineering domain.
Acting as an industry liaison with e4usa has been a rewarding opportunity for me to reconnect with my passion for STEM students and grow their interest in STEM degrees and careers, especially those who identify with historically marginalized communities. An introduction to engineering during my high school years solidified my confidence and interest in majoring in engineering and being able to have that influence for other students is an opportunity I greatly value. It's also been rewarding to help share this experience with other engineers at my company who have also taken on liaison roles in classrooms in the area. The program is extremely organized and well-run. Highly recommend for other industry liaisons, teachers, and students interested in learning more!