Motivating interest in electrical engineering through altruism at the middle school level

Motivating a child's interest in electrical engineering is challenging because the flow of electrical charge in most circuits is invisible and silent. In our approach we motivate learning through creation of reliable, robust, state-of-the-art solar rechargeable reading lights for delivery to younger children in the developing world through existing research and philanthropy networks. To engage students, we focus on the conservation of energy principle and concepts of voltage-charge-energy, facilitating high-level theory-of-operation comprehension while limiting new terminology needed. Based on student feedback in a pilot project, the altruistic aspect of our “Learn-Build-Test-Share” approach significantly motivated enrollment, with girls comprising 47% of the participants.