Tektronix, Inc. donated fourteen TBS1000 Digital Storage oscilloscopes to seven high schools across four Oregon school districts before the end of the recent school year in support of its commitment to science education and inspiring students to pursue careers in electronics engineering and other scientific disciplines.
The schools include Tigard, Liberty, Glencoe High School, McDaniel, Grant, Southridge and Sunset High Schools.
Teachers from these schools spent an afternoon at Sunset High School with Tektronix Technical Marketing Managers Dave Pereles and Jose Rodriguez, who gave them an overview of the features and functions of the oscilloscope, followed by hands-on time with the instrument.
Photo 1: Cady Geer, CTE Teacher, Computer Science & Engineering at Sunset High School and Jose R. Rodriguez, Sr. Strategic Marketing Manager at Tektronix
“We need engineers to build a better future for us all. There is no better way to get students onto the engineering path than to give them a great experience in high school. Teachers who can show students the tools they’ll be using are critical to building that passion,” said Rodriguez.
“Spending time with the teachers was fantastic,” added Pereles. “Knowing they’re empowered to instruct their students on how to start using an oscilloscope will hopefully spark more people into a bright and rewarding career.”
Photo 2: Cady Geer and David Pereles, Technical Marketing Manager at Tektronix
The donated oscilloscopes will be used in science and engineering classes, enabling students to get hands-on time engaging in real measurement practices. Science and Engineering Practice is one of the three dimensions of science learning laid out by the Next Generation Science Standards, a multi-state effort in the United States to create education standards that are “rich in both content and practice and arranged in a coherent manner across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education.”
At Glencoe High School, the scopes will be used in digital electronics classes to teach students more about digital and analog signals. These classes include areas such as robotics, principles of engineering, digital electronics, CAD, and more.
“I’m trying to give students an introduction to engineering and let them choose where they go next,” said Scott Jackson, a teacher at Glencoe High School.
At Sunset High School, the scopes will be used throughout the engineering program in all stages of the engineering process. Sunset High School has a comprehensive program of 11 engineering courses centered around mechatronics, engineering design, and the skills to support original projects.
Photo 3: Cady and fellow teachers learn the basics of oscilloscopes
“Students will learn to use the scopes for an introduction to circuits and all the way up through our capstone and drones classes,” said Cady Geer, a teacher at Sunset High School.
Oscilloscopes have played a part in major scientific breakthroughs of the 20th and 21st centuries, from the first computers and the invention of color television to space exploration, telecommunications, and medical equipment.
After the first oscilloscopes were invented at the end of the 19th century, development really started to move forward after the Word War II. Howard Vollum and Jack Murdock founded Tektronix in Beaverton, Oregon, in 1946, and in a big step forward, invented the first oscilloscope with a trigger sweep, which allowed stationary display of repeating waveforms. The company has been a leading oscilloscope manufacturer for over 75 years.
Photo 4: Teachers get familiar with the equipment at Sunset High School
The Tektronix TBS1000 Digital Storage Oscilloscope is a basic oscilloscope designed with the needs of students in mind.
“Measuring with an oscilloscope is exciting,” said Rodriguez. “Every engineer remembers their first scope. It’s one thing to talk theoretically about electronic signals but another to see them on the screen in-person. We hope these oscilloscopes will stimulate students and inspire them to consider careers in engineering.”
Photo 5: Learning the finer adjustments on an oscilloscope
Rodriguez encourages others to get involved in teaching the next generation of engineers, saying, “Donate your old scopes to your local high schools. Donate your time to help faculty build their HS Engineering Curriculum. And donate your time to train teachers and students on the use of oscilloscopes and electronic test equipment.”