Host Highlight: The University of Iowa

Background

Few people may know that the University of Iowa was the first U.S. public university to admit men and women on an equal basis and the first institution of higher education in the nation to accept creative work in theatre, writing, music, and art as theses for advanced degrees. Today, while those achievements remain highlights in the university's history, it is the university's world renowned research programs and major innovations that draw thousands to the Iowa campus each year. The foundations for much of these accomplishments is the College of Engineering, one of over ten of the university's colleges, whose national recognition combined with its outreach initiatives results in a highly select admissions rate of just 30%.

Meet the Host

One of the outreach events the University of Iowa College of Engineering holds in the JETS TEAMS Competition. Since coming on board as a TEAMS host three years ago, the success of TEAMS has been a combined effort of Professor Alec Scranton and Outreach Coordinator Rebecca Whitaker. Though Rebecca is quick to credit the many student organizations that help out on the event day, it is Rebecca's planning that takes place months in advance that leaves little room for error on the event day... except when Mother Nature has other plans. The University of Iowa typically holds two competition dates to accommodate individual high school preferences: one during the week and one on the weekend; however this year those dates had to be rescheduled due to snow. "This year the biggest challenge was the weather!" Rebecca said. With a blizzard dumping over a foot and a half of snow on the campus the day before their first TEAMS competition was suppose to be held, the College of Engineering had to postpone their event. "The weather in Iowa wasn't the best in February, but we were able to work around it for our registered schools," she explained.

The Competition

Rebecca and her colleagues are extremely accommodating when organizing their TEAMS competition. From offering two different event dates, to sending the necessary competition materials to schools unable to attend, Rebecca and her team go above and beyond to make sure everyone who wants to participate can, and that those who do have a memorable day. "In addition to the TEAMS challenge, we like to include some other fun activities for the students," Rebecca explains. Teams generally begin arriving on campus around 8am and compete in Part I of the TEAMS competition in the morning. Lunch at one of the on-campus cafeterias follows, as does a walking tour of the campus, and a hands-on activity. The students then return to complete Part II of TEAMS that afternoon and anxiously await the announcement of the winner. In addition to bragging rights, the members of the overall highest scoring team at the Iowa competition receive scholarships to the university's College of Engineering, an added incentive to any high school student even remotely considering a future in engineering.

The Benefits

"The University of Iowa College of Engineering is very proud to be a participant in JETS' TEAMS program," Rebecca says, "we believe that this is a great opportunity for students to practice engineering, see our campus, and work together as a team." Baring any future inclement weather patterns, Iowa plans to continue to host TEAMS and provide an enjoyable day on campus to any high school student who is interested in participating. "We have been very successful thus far," Rebecca says, "and we look forward to another great TEAMS competition in 2009!"