Over 200 middle school students received the opportunity many of
their peers don’t have ““ to learn about the field of
engineering through hands-on experience.
Hosted by the Mathematics, Engineering, Sciences Achievement
Center at UCLA, students from nine middle schools in the Los
Angeles Unified and Inglewood Unified School Districts were invited
to participate in the first Engineering Day held Friday in Ackerman
Union.
According to Linda Robertson, the associate director for
UCLA’s Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity,
the purpose of E-Day is to give young students this opportunity to
learn about engineering. Robertson says she feels that engineering
is a subject that isn’t covered well in middle school or high
school.
“Science and math always get emphasized in (K-12) schools,
but engineering seldom does,” said Robertson.
MESA and other student organizations were involved in the
event.
“I think it’s exciting to bring technology to the
students so they can explore it and learn about the university and
the possibilities that come with it,” Robertson said.
During the event, students from all nine schools were split into
six different groups and sent to attend three different workshops,
each lasting approximately an hour.
Workshop topics ranged from computer animation where students
learned to use object oriented programming, to a student rap
session where students learned about engineering and its different
disciplines.
Other workshops included a Mars exploration visualization portal
where students viewed what life is like on Mars, and a technology
fair where representatives from Hewlett-Packard, one event sponsor,
presented new technologies.
Included in the HP workshop was a photo contest where students
ventured on campus, took a picture of their favorite subject, and
wrote a story about it.
“My favorite part of the event was taking the
pictures,” said Mayra Zendejas from Wright Middle School.
Zendejas, who hopes to go into nursing, said she wanted to either
attend UCLA or Loyola Marymount University in the future.
Many of the middle school students said they were happy with the
opportunity to learn about something different.
“I thought it was a good chance to learn about different
majors which can help us select a career path,” said Cecilia
Torres, a student from Monroe Magnet School.
“I think the demographic they chose is great,” said
Norbert Fernandez, the HP representative. “These are kids who
face challenges after middle school, and this event is encouraging
because it tells them to do something with their talents and helps
them actualize their potential.”
Engineering students from MESA, CEED, the National Society of
Black Engineers and the Society of Latino Engineers and Scientists
helped with the day’s event by heading workshops and helping
set up.
Marlayna Washington, a fourth-year mechanical engineering
student and President of NSBE, said she was happy to help with the
event because she wasn’t given the same opportunity these
middle school children had.
“I wasn’t privileged enough to have something like
this,” Washington said. “This is a benefit for them as
well as for me. I can give them something I never got.”