In the Media

Participant Brandon Fisher, 2017

CBS News broadcasted a story about the success of Brandon Fisher II, a DeSoto High School student who participated in our NSF-supported Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism events every year between 2016 and 2019. To underscore the impact Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism events had on Brandon Jr., his father requested CBS News include the photograph (Left) in the story about his son’s success in music and engineering. Brandon is marching his way to success and hopes to help people better understand autism along the way. See more on CBS…

Dr. Jeanne Eichler

An assistant professor in the new Department of Occupational Therapy continues groundbreaking work for young adults with autism and their future co-workers.

Jeanne Eicher is featured in the short video “Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism” that was released late last year. The annual event engages participants to use teamwork and focused thinking to design and build devices.

At the 2018 event, students working in small groups set out to digitally design plastic versions of internal combustion engines. They then manufactured the parts with three-dimensional printers. Last, they tested them to see if they ran. Each team had young adults on the autism spectrum as well as neurotypical volunteers from the community to simulate real-life work situations. Read more…

UT Dallas faculty and students worked with participants at the recent Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism event, where they teamed up to build miniature wind turbines.

UT Dallas students and faculty encouraged teenagers with autism to explore engineering careers at a recent event called Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism. The event challenged participants with tasks that required teamwork and focused thinking.

Working with graduate students from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science approximately 14 teens with autism were asked to design and build components of a miniature wind turbine. As part of the challenge, the teens learned how to use software to design a part and then use it on a functioning, mini-wind turbine. Read more…

UT Dallas graduate students helped teens with autism build remote-controlled cars during the “Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism” event.

The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at UT Dallas recently helped area teens with autism improve both their social and engineering skills as part of World Autism Awareness Day.

At “Engineering Brighter Futures for Autism,” more than a dozen teens worked in teams to design, build and test components of remote-controlled cars. The Jonsson School partnered with Microsoft, the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Autism Speaks, the Autism Treatment Center of Dallas and Saint Louis University to host the event at the Microsoft store in NorthPark Center. Read more…