2601:201:8A81:1570:9D25:64EF:72E5:3E25 at 03:17, 25 October 2024

2024-10-25T03:17:41Z

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'''Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS)''' was founded in 1995 at [[Purdue University]] by Professors Edward Coyle and [[Leah Jamieson]] as a solution to two problems.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://epicsnational.ecn.purdue.edu/ |title=EPICS |access-date=2008-04-14 |archive-date=2008-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413032220/http://epicsnational.ecn.purdue.edu/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> First, many engineering graduates lacked real world skills needed for project management, such as budgeting and scheduling. Second, many non-profit organizations did not have funding for needed professional engineering services to design displays and exhibits or keep relevant databases. The solution was to use the skills of undergraduate students through the curriculum to provide services to local non-profit organizations.

The program originally started as an educational program, and finds its roots in the concept of "service learning".<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2006-04-07-better-entrepreneur_x.htm USATODAY.com - Program combines service, engineering to build a better entrepreneur]</ref>

In liberal arts colleges, EPICS courses manage to encourage enrollment from students from outside the engineering program.<ref>[http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/04/08/20786/ Keller ’63 donates $25 million - The Daily Princetonian]</ref>

==History==
EPICS was founded in the Fall of 1995 at Purdue University starting with five project teams. At Purdue, the program has grown to 25 project teams which include over 400 students. In 2000, the program was expanded and implemented at other universities. Today EPICS is operating at 15 universities across the United States, including [[Princeton University]],<ref>[http://www.princeton.edu/~epics/ You are being transferred]</ref> [[University of Notre Dame]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://epics.cse.nd.edu/ |title=University of Notre Dame EPICS Center |access-date=2008-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514025005/http://epics.cse.nd.edu/ |archive-date=2008-05-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Dartmouth College]],<ref>[http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~epics/ Dartmouth EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service)]</ref> [[Penn State University]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://labs.ee.psu.edu/courses/epics/ |title=EPICS at Penn State University |access-date=2008-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516051801/http://labs.ee.psu.edu/courses/epics/ |archive-date=2008-05-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://studentservices.engr.wisc.edu/research/teamprojects.html |title=Engineering Team Projects |access-date=2008-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080602083444/http://studentservices.engr.wisc.edu/research/teamprojects.html |archive-date=2008-06-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Ohio State University]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ecos.osu.edu/?q=node%2F71 |title=Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) {{!}} ECOS: Engineers for Community Service |access-date=2019-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720024330/http://www.ecos.osu.edu/?q=node%2F71 |archive-date=2011-07-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Arizona State University]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2017/05/09/tempe-asu-students-mobile-dental-clinic-charity/314594001/|title=Arizona State University students finish $80,000 mobile dental clinic for charity|work=azcentral|access-date=2017-05-10|language=en}}</ref> and [[University of California, Merced]].<ref>[http://eng.ucmerced.edu/slp UC Merced's EPICS portal]</ref>

[[The University of Auckland]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.epics.auckland.ac.nz/ |title=EPICS - EPICS - The University of Auckland |access-date=2008-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226165042/http://www.epics.auckland.ac.nz/ |archive-date=2008-02-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in Auckland, New Zealand is the only university that runs the EPICS programme internationally.

=== EPICS Learning Community at Purdue ===

At Purdue, EPICS is offered as a learning community to freshman students in the First Year Engineering program. The learning community program requires that students live in a specific university residence with other students in the EPICS program. Students are assigned roommates of the same gender and in the past Harrison Hall has been the location of the EPICS learning community. The EPICS students occupy most of a floor of Harrison (for men) but are split to separate towers by gender. In addition, students in the EPICS learning community will take some courses together, usually freshmen English (English 106) and the first part of the freshmen engineering course (previously ENGR195). Freshmen in EPICS are assigned to specific EPICS teams (not by roommate). These teams work with a community partner to meet a particular need. Some examples of teams include the Columbian Park Zoo team which designs enrichment devices for animals at the local zoo and the Habitat for Humanity team which helps to plan sustainable housing. EPICS functions as a class usually with a set number of lecture sessions to attend each semester and weekly lab time with teams. Documentation and design reviews are important parts of EPICS. Students learn to keep design notebooks and record project information. Near the midpoint and end of the semester, students present their work in a design review to professional engineers. These are very important events in EPICS and serve as a key time for students to receive feedback on their work. Students who enter EPICS as freshmen engineers are required to be part of the course portion only for the first semester, although they can opt to continue in future semesters.

'''EPICS at Arizona State University'''
EPICS came to ASU in 2008. It is described as a way to help students engage in real-world engineering problems while they are still in school. The success of the program at the university level led to the creation of EPICS High, a similar program adapted for high schools and middle schools.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://asunow.asu.edu/20170417-epics-high-showcase-projects-purpose-are-motivating-young-students|title=EPICS High Showcase: Projects with purpose are motivating young students|date=2017-04-11|work=ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact|access-date=2017-05-10|language=en}}</ref>

In 2017, five students finished their charity project started through the EPICS program in 2013, a mobile dental clinic that will serve thousands of people in Nicaragua, Arizona and California. It was said to be one of the most ambitious projects to come out of the program.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2017/05/09/tempe-asu-students-mobile-dental-clinic-charity/314594001/|title=Arizona State University students finish $80,000 mobile dental clinic for charity|work=azcentral|access-date=2017-05-10|language=en}}</ref> The students took on the project to assist IMAHelps, a California non-profit. Catalina Laboratory Products, a Tucson-based startup, donated thousands of dollars to help furnish and stock the clinic.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2017/05/09/tempe-asu-students-mobile-dental-clinic-charity/314594001/|title=Arizona State University students finish $80,000 mobile dental clinic for charity|work=azcentral|access-date=2017-05-10|language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://epicsnational.ecn.purdue.edu EPICS National Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223122747/http://epicsnational.ecn.purdue.edu/ |date=2005-12-23 }}
* [http://epics.ecn.purdue.edu EPICS at Purdue University]
* [http://www.purdue.edu Purdue University]

[[Category:Purdue University]]

Engineering Projects In Community Service - Revision history

2601:201:8A81:1570:9D25:64EF:72E5:3E25 at 03:17, 25 October 2024