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Two pre-college programs have been funded at University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) to promote mathematics. science, engineering and technology (MSET) education among minority middle and high school students by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(W0AA) respectively. The programs are directed by thefirst and second author ofthis paper and are ably supported by graduate students in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at UMES who are also co-authors of the paper. In the NOAAsponsored middle school program twenty, middle school students participate in a two-week summer activity at UMES. The program endeavors to introduce and generate interest among participants lo pursue MSET majors. The NASA-sponsored "Summer Engineering Bridge Program (SEBP) "provides enrichment activities forfifteen to twenty high school seniors in transition to college. The program is five weeks long and is structured to improve the success of marginally accepted engineering majors at UMES during their freshman year in college. While the focus of SEBP is on promoting engineering, other interested MSET majors can also participate and benefitfrom theprogram.There are a variety of educational and recreational activities that are integrated in the programs. The focus in this paper is on activities incorporated in the programs using LEGO Mindstorm and LEGO DACTA products for design and embedded compuler control of mobile robotic plarforms as well as instrumentation and data acquisition using LEGO sensors. Teamwork and cooperative learning are promoted, A similar product suitable for embedded computing activities called MIT Handyboard is also introduced to the high schoolstudents.

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A holistic approach of sustainability grounded in environmental concerns, also incorporates the dimensions of culture, economy, and social justice. It can be an added attraction bringing together various disciplines to explore pathways through which sustainability can be addressed in a practical manner. A one-week summer institute on Bioenergy and Bioproducts for educators from middle and high schools, and university faculty across STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Mathematics) disciplines was hosted by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). This program is geared towards helping reform educational infrastructure by promoting multidisciplinary activities and content in the areas of sustainability, bioenergy, and bioproducts. The objectives of the Bioenergy Academy are: 1) to provide a systems-perspective in sustainability, bioenergy, and bioproducts education to STEAM educators and researchers; and 2) to develop and provide curricular materials and a set of teaching tools to educators for enhancing instruction in the areas of sustainable bioenergy and bioproducts. The Academy focuses on lessons and activities pertaining to sustainability, systems thinking, renewable energy with particular emphasis on bioenergy, bioproducts, and environment and policies related to energy issues. The participants got the opportunity to acquire concrete experiences involving teamwork, time management, and project execution skills; reflected on their learning experiences through presentations at the end of the institute; developed concepts related to organic chemistry, physics, engineering design, instrumentation, mathematics, biological, and environmental sciences; and actively experimented with feedstocks to generate biodiesel and environmentally-friendly soaps using the glycerin produced from the biodiesel. The BITES ( Buildings, Industry, Transportation, Electricity, Scenarios) simulation tool developed by National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and made freely available over the internet allowed participants to play out scenarios to reduce carbon foot print based on those situations that can be realized through policy decisions leading to building improvements, reduction of industrial pollution, use of alternative fuels, electric cars, and other design modifications in the transportation sector, and cleaner and more efficient conversion technologies for electricity generation and conservation. A total of forty one educators have been trained through this program over a period of four years. The evaluation surveys (pre-and post) revealed that the educators gained substantial knowledge in the fields of sustainability, bioenergy, and bioproducts, and felt comfortable in implementing the content in their courses and laboratories.

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