Amir Abo-Shaeer
Encyclopedia
Amir Abo-Shaeer is an educator. In 2001, during his first year of teaching, he established the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA)
on the Dos Pueblos High School
campus. In addition to being the Director of the DPEA, he teaches physics, engineering, robotics, machining and manufacturing. His focused outreach efforts have yielded 50% female student enrollment in the DPEA. He also runs FRC
Team 1717 as part of the academy program. He was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2010. He is the first high school teacher to win the award, as well as the first FIRST mentor to win the award for work relating to FIRST robotics.
, where he has resided ever since.
As a child, he frequently took things apart to figure out how they worked. Obsessed with Legos from an early age, Shaeer said playing with them fostered his appreciation for all things mechanical. While in college and his twenties, Shaeer played the drums and was the lead singer for the band Superhip, which performed all original music. The artists that influenced his songwriting are Bob Marley
, Marvin Gaye
, and Curtis Mayfield
.
He graduated from Dos Pueblos High School and attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a B.S. in Physics
, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
, and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education
.
, aerospace
, and telecommunications before deciding to pursue a career in education. Early on, he taught physics, wrote curriculum, and developed courses for the DPEA. He eventually decided that the capstone course for the senior class would revolve around the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
, which requires students to design and construct a 150 pounds (68 kg) robot to compete against other robots in a game challenge that is different every year. The DPEA is known as Team 1717 in the FIRST community. In 2007, he garnered a $3 million California state matching grant to create a 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) engineering facility on the high school campus to support the implementation of the Career Technical Education (CTE) curriculum he created. On September 29, 2010, Congresswoman Lois Capps congratulated him on the floor of the United States House of Representatives
for winning the MacArthur Fellowship.
New York Times bestselling author Neal Bascomb
wrote a book chronicling Abo-Shaeer’s teaching and his 2009 FIRST robotics team’s competition season. The New Cool
was released on March 1, 2011.
Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy
The Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy is a four-year program at Dos Pueblos High School that provides generally exceptional students with experimental science education. The coursework is designed to provide the academic foundation necessary to support the students' participation as Team 1717 in the...
on the Dos Pueblos High School
Dos Pueblos High School
Dos Pueblos High School is a high school located in Goleta, California, west of Santa Barbara. Located adjacent to the foothills on the edge of the Goleta Valley in an area known as El Encanto Heights, it serves a student body of approximately 2,300 in grades 9-12.Dos Pueblos, or "DP" or "DPHS", is...
campus. In addition to being the Director of the DPEA, he teaches physics, engineering, robotics, machining and manufacturing. His focused outreach efforts have yielded 50% female student enrollment in the DPEA. He also runs FRC
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
Team 1717 as part of the academy program. He was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2010. He is the first high school teacher to win the award, as well as the first FIRST mentor to win the award for work relating to FIRST robotics.
Early life
Shaeer was born in São Paulo, Brazil, where his father was teaching physics at the university. Before his first birthday, his family returned to Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, where he has resided ever since.
As a child, he frequently took things apart to figure out how they worked. Obsessed with Legos from an early age, Shaeer said playing with them fostered his appreciation for all things mechanical. While in college and his twenties, Shaeer played the drums and was the lead singer for the band Superhip, which performed all original music. The artists that influenced his songwriting are Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, and Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
.
He graduated from Dos Pueblos High School and attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a B.S. in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, and a M.Ed. in Secondary Education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
.
Career
Shaeer began his career as a mechanical engineer in the private sector. He worked on research and development in academiaAcademia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
, aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
, and telecommunications before deciding to pursue a career in education. Early on, he taught physics, wrote curriculum, and developed courses for the DPEA. He eventually decided that the capstone course for the senior class would revolve around the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
, which requires students to design and construct a 150 pounds (68 kg) robot to compete against other robots in a game challenge that is different every year. The DPEA is known as Team 1717 in the FIRST community. In 2007, he garnered a $3 million California state matching grant to create a 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) engineering facility on the high school campus to support the implementation of the Career Technical Education (CTE) curriculum he created. On September 29, 2010, Congresswoman Lois Capps congratulated him on the floor of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for winning the MacArthur Fellowship.
New York Times bestselling author Neal Bascomb
Neal Bascomb
Neal Bascomb is an American journalist and author. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Miami University with a B.A. in Economics and English Literature . After graduation, he worked as a journalist in London, Paris, and Dublin. He was an editor for St. Martin's Press, and in 2000, he began writing...
wrote a book chronicling Abo-Shaeer’s teaching and his 2009 FIRST robotics team’s competition season. The New Cool
The New Cool (book)
The New Cool: A Visionary Teacher, His FIRST Robotics Team, and the Ultimate Battle of Smarts is a 2011 non-fiction narrative book by American writer Neal Bascomb. It follows four FIRST Robotics Competition teams through the course of the 2009 season...
was released on March 1, 2011.
Honors and awards
- 2006 Honorary Service Award
- 2008 Santa Barbara Partners in Education Outstanding Career Technical Educator
- 2008 Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO) Community Hero
- 2008 Venoco Incorporated Crystal Apple Award
- 2008 Goleta Educator of the Year
- 2008 Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition
- 2009 Santa Barbara Rotary Outstanding Service Award
- 2010 MacArthur Fellowship
- 2011 FIRST Woodie Flowers Award – Los Angeles Regional