UC MERCED NEWS: UC Merced Students Encourage Madera Youngsters to Say YES to Engineering
MERCED – Students from the University of California, Merced, will visit Madera’s Howard Elementary School to help promote interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The visit, which is part of UC Merced’s Young Engineer and Scientist (YES) Academy, will take place Friday, April 17 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 13878 Road 21 1/2 in Madera. UC Merced YES is an outreach program organized by the UC Merced Fresno Center and the UC Merced STEM Resource Center.
The UC Merced students will share their enthusiasm for engineering with about 75 fifth-graders at Howard by demonstrating a water rocket and showing how a quadcopter can be used for agricultural and environmental research purposes. The UC Merced students also will show the Howard students how to “engineer” a rubber band powered car.
According to recent statistics from the state Employment Development Department, the unemployment rate in Madera County is 11.2 percent. Studies show that STEM employees earn more on average and have an unemployment rate that is half of that for non-STEM workers. Unfortunately, only 16 percent of American high school seniors are proficient in math and are interested in STEM careers.
“Local, national and global leaders turn to engineers and scientists to solve the challenges of today,” said Petia Gueorguieva, Ph.D., coordinator of the UC Merced STEM Resource Center. “Yet, not enough students on a national basis are showing interest in these and related subjects.”
The UC Merced STEM Resource Center provides a friendly learning atmosphere and helps students succeed in their academic and research activities. It also supports UC Merced’s student organizations in outreach activities that promote the STEM disciplines and motivate future undergraduates to pursue science and engineering majors.
The students who will visit Howard are enrolled in the UC Merced School of Engineering and are members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA UC Merced), Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). All are professional clubs on campus. AIAA UC Merced is focused on expanding education and career opportunities for UC Merced students in the field of aerospace engineering. SWE provides support and connections for women studying engineering. Its mission is to provide encouragement for women to achieve their full potential as engineers and influential members of society. SHPE is dedicated to the advancement of Hispanics in STEM. Its mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community and to impact the world through STEM.
