UNITE

See what happens next.

Contact Info:

Tinh Tran | STEM/Engineering Teacher | Director & Founder UNITE | CTE Mentor

University High School Room 401 | 4771 Campus Dr. | Irvine, CA 92612 | USA
Phone: 949.936.7684 | Fax: 949.936.7609 |
@tinhtranUNITE UNI_Technology&Engineering

WHAT'S NEW?

Earn 6 units IVC college credit by completing UNITE's Intro to Engineering Design class; see details below

UNITE sponsors MIT Launch -- develop entrepreneurial skills and mindset by launching startups

Irvine Cubesat featured in OC Register "Irvine high school students ready their mini satellite for launch into orbit"

Become a Microsoft power user -- free Microsoft eBooks here

Free Aerospace Symposium & Expo -- Thurs Sep 7 @ UCI; register here

Highly informative piece on nanosatellites: "The Tiny Satellites Ushering in the New Space Revolution"

Article "A New Kind of Tech Job Emphasizes Skills, Not a College Degree"

What is UNITE?

UNITE Brochure
UNITE stands for UNI_Technology&Engineering -- our schoolwide STEM program that blends technical and workplace skills (CTE; career and technical education) with academic learning. We offer PLTW Engineering classes and STEM projects for students to work on beyond the school day. Girls are welcome -- no experience or background required. By working in a STEM project-based learning environment, students develop and practice 21st-century skills needed in a world that values collaboration, initiative, perseverance, flexibility, empathy, curiosity, and creativity. We have a laser-like focus on providing students with authentic, real-world learning experiences and setting up the right conditions for them to develop skills and practice habits that enable college/career success many years down the road. We take an iterative approach to projects whereby students learn by DOING, MAKING, and CREATING. Our predisposition is to take action and make things happen instead of spending much time talking about it upfront. We have a relentless pursuit of learning new things and a passion for work-based learning.

UNITE Program Objectives

* Increase female enrollment and participation to be on par with boys
* Prepare students for college entry as engineering majors

* Prepare students for technical work in high demand, high wage entry-level STEM jobs right out of high school -- educate for employability

* Build student agency in the areas of technical ability, communication, adaptability, leadership and entrepreneurship

* Form connections and a network with education and industry partners through mutually shared interests -- strengthen these relationships

* Engage with the community through STEM-related events -- strengthen quality of engagement

* Connect students to industry and business/industry professionals through work-based learning, internship, apprenticeship, and mentorship -- champion the dignity of work in all its forms
* Align STEM offerings to current and future workforce demands and expanding industries

* Participate in STEM project-based learning in an authentic, real-world context

Engineering Course Offerings

	Intro to Engineering Design (IED)	Principles of Engineering (POE)
UC Approved	Yes; "g" elective	Yes; "g" elective
Curriculum	Design Process; Technical Drawing/Sketching; Measurement & Statistical Analysis; 3D CAD Solid Modeling; Reverse Engineering	Energy & Power; Materials & Structures; Control Systems; Statistics & Kinematics (more physics and math)
Materials/Tools	CAD software; 3D printer; CNC mill; Engineering notebook; Calipers; Spreadsheet	VEX equipment; Microcontrollers; ROBOTC; Physics equipment
Workload	All work done in class; Very little homework	Most work done in class; Minimal homework
Student Readiness Consideration	Concurrent enrollment Math 1	Completion Math 1 with "C" or higher; Concurrent Math 2

AP + PLTW = Student Recognition

To earn the recognition, a student must satisfactorily complete three courses in the pathway – one AP course; one PLTW course; and a third course, either AP or PLTW – and earn a qualifying score of 3 or higher on the AP Exam(s) and a score of Proficient or higher on the PLTW End-of-Course (EoC) assessment(s). The application process for the 2017-18 AP + PLTW Student Achievement opens on September 1, 2017. Once a student submits an application, he or she will be evaluated each summer to determine eligibility.

College Articulation

You can earn Irvine Valley College credit by taking UNITE engineering classes. Read the articulation agreement and fill out the IVC CTE credit request form.

Example:
Student takes University HS’s Intro to Engineering Design (PLTW) course. She receives a “B” or better as a final grade. Intro to Engineering Design is articulated with IVC’s DR 50 (3 units) and DR101 (3 units). This means that student is eligible to receive 6 units at IVC for completing Uni’s Intro to Engin Design with a grade of “B” or better. However, she must first enroll at IVC and complete a 3 unit course (any course). Or, if she already has 3 units, then what is called “unit-residency requirement” is met. Student fills out the IVC HS Articulations Credit Request Form and submits with her high school transcript. IVC Admissions Offices verifies that student took Uni’s Intro to Engin Design course, got “B” and fulfilled IVC’s 3-unit residency requirement. IVC Admissions okays the request.

Career Programs offered by Orange County Community Colleges (all sectors)

Career Pathways Description (all sectors)

UNITE STEM Projects for 2017-18 **

Project	Description	Culminating event	Sign up
Hydrogen Horizon Automotive Challenge (H2AC)	Design and build RC fuel cell car; perform renewable energy experiments	April race contest event	Check back in Sep 2017
Irvine Cubesat	Work with other high schools to assemble, program, test and launch Cubesat	IRVINE01 launch Q4 2017; ongoing future missions	Online application CLOSED
OC Maker Challenge	Create a prototype using 3D printing; video; display board	Deliverables due March	Submit a project idea
C-STEM Linkbots	Program linkbots to move around a mat and perform tasks	May 2018
UCI Rescue Robotics	Build drone or ground robot for rescue	May competition event	Check back in Sep 2017 Video from previous competition
World Educational Robot	Program robot rover to follow a map and perform tasks	Sep 30 & Oct 1, 2017 UCLA	Sign up WER
VEX Robotics	Build clawbot	April competition event	Check back in Dec 2017
GAMA Build A Plane Aviation Design Challenge	Use flight simulator software to design most efficient plane (all on computer)	Deliverables due April	Check back in Feb 2018
CyberPatriot	Team of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing the network of a small company (all on computer)	April through November; includes summer	Sign up CyberPatriot
MIT Launch	Develop entrepreneurial skills and mindset by launching startups

** All UNITE projects are student-driven. Students decide the level of commitment, time and effort to put forth. Student teams determine work schedule, team organization and what they want to get out of the project. Project work typically occurs after school several days a week and runs from October through May.

Internships & Work-based Learning

UNITE students have been accepted for STEM jobs and internships at these companies:

Why STEM? Why Now?

Source: Brookings Institution, The Hidden STEM Economy, 2013.

Source: CTEq analysis of U.S. Census Bureau report on STEM graduates, 2014.

Source: Burning Glass and Capital One, Crunched by the Numbers: The Digital Skills Gap in the Workforce, March 2015.

Source: Change the Equation, The Diversity Dilemma, 2015.