Provided by the Iowa State engineering department, the engineers online page can lend a helping hand to prospective students.

Located at http://www.eng.iastate.edu/ess/eo, the site was started to help high school and prospective students get their questions about ISU answered.

Diana Pounds, the manager of university communications, said the page began with engineering college officials.

Pounds, Chris Schieffer, an academic adviser in the engineering college, and other engineering college officials collaborated to find a way to get information to prospective students.

“We approached Tau Beta Pi and asked them if they could mentor those high school students through a Web page,” Pounds said.

The page is sponsored by the Engineering Student Services, University Relations and Tau Beta Pi, a student engineering honorary society that selects students for their academic achievements, character and potential for service to the community.

Sridhar Desikan, a graduate student in chemical engineering from India, is part of the Engineering Online page and said he got involved with the engineering online through Tau Beta Pi as well.

Desikan said prospective high school students can contact students in different programs directly about how they feel about their curricula.

“These recent undergraduates remember things they had to go through more clearly than most of the academic advisers. Engineers Online program provides an informal avenue to get more information than the material provided in the admissions package.

“It is accessible from anywhere in the world so it is a good recruiting tool for the university too. I get questions about our graduate program from people in Europe and Asia,” he said.

The Web site has 13 students in majors from computer to metallurgical engineering available to answer questions. The students give descriptions of their majors and the activities in which they like to participate on campus.

The page has only been in existence for two to three months, Pounds said. Many of the engineering students said the questions are coming in slowly.

“I’ve only received one question so far. It was from a student in Minnesota. Her questions were pretty general, about the benefits of an engineering degree, and whether she could get a degree in some area of science and still work as an engineer,” said Lee Teras, a senior in chemical engineering.

The page is new and Pounds hopes more high school students learn about it.

Even with the small number of questions from a slow start, the engineering students are pleased to provide information.

“I am glad I could be of some help,” Desikan said.

Teras said, “I do enjoy helping people with their questions. I just wish there were more to answer!”