Craig Merrett, assistant professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at Clarkson University, was recently recognized by Nepris as one of its Top Volunteers for 2019.
Nepris is an educational service provider that connects K-12 classrooms in remote or underserved areas with industry professionals across the country. Merrett got involved with Nepris when he arrived at Clarkson in 2016.
“Normally, the students in these areas would not have the opportunity to talk to engineers, scientists, tradespeople, and other professions,” Merrett said. “The opportunity to talk to K-12 students about engineering and how the concepts that they’re seeing in their math and science courses relate to real world applications is irresistible.”
In his work with Nepris, Merrett has participated in four different types of sessions, covering topics such as aerospace engineering, what it’s like to be a university student, connecting classroom content to the real world, and Industry Chats, where Nepris professionals present on a particular topic – in Merrett’s case, the presentation was on spacecraft structures – and multiple classrooms may connect simultaneously.
Merrett’s hope in dedicating so much time to Nepris is that his sessions help students understand their classroom content more and encourages them to pursue a future in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). According to Nepris’ records, Merrett reached more than 1,400 students in 2019, and his Industry Chat on spacecraft structures was seen in 11 classrooms across eight states, with a total viewership of 248 students.
Merrett wants to leverage his recognition as a dedicated Nepris volunteer to bring his colleagues into the program.
“I see being included in the top 10 volunteer group for 2019 as an opportunity to encourage my colleagues to become more involved in STEM outreach,” Merrett said. “Being included in the Nepris network is heartwarming and satisfying.”
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