Robotics outreach, education research and service learning are key components to the integrated scholarship of Tanja Karp, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. For more than a decade, Karp has developed and promoted outreach efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Essential to this focus has been the Get Excited About Robotics (GEAR) program, which she launched in 2007 as a LEGO robotics-based competition for area students. GEAR has also provided an opportunity for Texas Tech engineering students to serve the community. Freshmen enrolled in Karp’s service learning course meet with and mentor student teams that are participating in the GEAR program. Karp’s findings from her outreach efforts have provided a basis for research in STEM education, particularly as it pertains to student retention. The topic has additionally enabled Karp to collaborate with faculty across disciplines on her research. She is a member of the Texas Tech Teaching Academy and faculty adviser to the Society of Women Engineers, in addition to serving on university committees. In 2012 Karp received the Whitacre College of Engineering’s Butler Distinguished Educator Fellow Award, and the Harriet B. Rigas Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Education Society.
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