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When asked why the e+ CU Teach Engineering concentration at CU Â鶹ӰԺ was a good fit for her future career goals, e+ student Andi Vicksman was eager to share her story.

Andi was part of the team that won the "People's Choice Award" at the Spring 2015 Design Expo, a biannual event hosted by the Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory (ITLL). Her winning design, "Flour Power," used an automated mixing machine run off a mobile website.

Andi says she always knew she wanted to teach. "I have always just loved teaching and working with kids. I think it’s really cool to watch a kid learn something and knowing that you’ve been a part of that. Seeing when they finally get it is one of my favorite things," she said. She also knew her passion was to teach future Colorado innovators and game changers. The CU Teach Engineering concentration, in Engineering Plus, allows Andi to graduate with an engineering degree while simultaneously earning teacher licensure.

Because Andi wanted to follow her passions in engineering and teaching, she expected to spend more time in school obtaining teaching licensure. With the innovative e+ CU Teach Engineering concentration, she could achieve both of these goals because the teaching aspect is built into the engineering degree.

Andi was excited when she found out about the new and innovative Engineering Plus degree with the option to choose CU Teach Engineering as her concentration. "I was always waiting for (this degree) it to happen and hoping that it would. When I found out it was, I switched into Engineering Plus and decided so I could do teaching as well."

The CU Teach Engineering concentration, in Engineering Plus, provides secondary math and science teachers with a concrete foundation in engineering design and integrates educational pedagogy strategies for teaching in grades 7-12 classrooms in Colorado schools.

For Andi, this means teaching high school math. Andi loves math but is concerned that many young students do not enjoy math or understand the pervasive applications of math in the world around them. She wants to take concepts from her applied mathematics and engineering classes and bring those to younger students through project-based learning, something she is learning more about in her education classes. "I want to teach them the applications and get them more involved." she says.

CU Teach Engineering is funded in part by the  in partnership with the 100Kin10 network whose goal is to develop, support and retain 100,000 high-quality STEM teachers over the next 10 years. Engineering by design promotes problem-solving for complex, real-world issues. This growing program at CU Â鶹ӰԺ is a vital component for future educators to inspire the next generation, and expose students to the limitless applications of the STEM fields.

Learn more about CU Teach Engineering, if this seems like the right engineering pathway for you!