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Local Middle and High Schools Students Explore Engineering During Edison Lecture Series

Software is the soul of our computing devices. Without it, these devices are like dead bodies, said Herb Krasner, senior lecturer in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) at The University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering. Krasner, along with Christine Julien, associate professor in ECE, is addressing this topic at the seventh annual Edison Lecture Series titled Software is Engineering.

UT ECE recently hosted The 2011 Edison Lecture Series, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition program, formed to give middle and high school students more information about engineering education as well as a better understanding of careers that are available post-graduation. During the past six years, the series has reached nearly 20,000 students.

After reviewing student demographics for undergraduate and graduate courses in ECE at the university, there was a concern that American citizens were disproportionately represented. By hosting outreach events, such as the Edison Lecture Series, the Cockrell School hopes to influence student choices during their formative years. Ultimately, this would increase the participation of American citizens in engineering disciplines.

The 2011 Edison Lecture Series was brought to you with generous support from Time Warner Cable's Connect a Million Minds Program, IEEE, Schlumberger, 5-D Systems, and ARiSE (Advanced Research in Software Engineering.)