California State University, Bakersfield will welcome 1,000 local high school students to campus on Feb. 23 for Engineering Day, an annual event that gives teens the opportunity to learn about a career as an engineer.
This year’s theme of “Welcome to the Future” represents not just a future education and career path for the high school students, but also the world they will help create in the years to come as engineers.
“Engineering is about dreaming big, pushing boundaries and creating a better life for people in our community and beyond,” said Dr. Jane Dong, dean of CSUB’s School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. “In collaboration with our industry partners, our faculty, staff and alumni will showcase engineering career options and introduce education pathways for kids who are interested in becoming future engineers.”
Engineering Day at CSUB has steadily grown, with organizers regularly needing to find a larger venue to accommodate increasing interest in the university’s engineering programs. This year’s event will be held in the Student Recreation Center, having outgrown last year’s location, the 500-capacity Doré Theatre. Registration for this year’s event had to be cut off in late January because demand still exceeded available space.
“Outgrowing a space is a great problem to have, because it means more students are interested in engineering and see it as an option for them,” said Dr. Andrea Medina, NSME’s director of grants and outreach, who organizes the event with her team. “Our community needs qualified engineers, and we have the programs and faculty to help prospective students become just that.”
Three engineering programs — traditional engineering, computer engineering and electrical engineering — have been offered by CSUB for around 10 years. Though the programs are still relatively new, they have produced hundreds of graduates who have gone on to successful careers in the field.
One of those alumni is Omar Samara, a Ph.D. candidate at University of California, Davis who is working on agrivoltaic engineering and sustainable agricultural production. Samara will give a special presentation and be part of an alumni panel along with Maria Renteria (Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds), Carlos Romero (GAF Roofing), and Alfredo Arrevalo and Sandra Peters (both from Edwards Air Force Base).
“All the alums participating in the panel graduated from local high schools like the ones these students are visiting from,” Dr. Medina said. “So in the panelists, students will see people who have been where they are now and are currently working the very jobs they might be interested in for their own futures. They’ll hear how CSUB helped them get there.”
The keynote speaker will be Becca “Sherpa” Aronoff, a Chief Flight Test Engineer at Edward’s Air Force Base. Aronoff earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Tennessee, her master’s in aerospace engineering sciences from the University of Colorado and her master’s in flight test engineering from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.
“Although Becca isn’t a CSUB alum herself, she works for a major engineering employer in our community,” Dr. Medina said. “I think students will be interested to hear her story and learn about the work she and her colleagues do.”
After the presentations, visiting students will have lunch and the opportunity to check out the career exploration fair. Schools will also have the option of going on a campus tour afterward.
“We really want to get these students excited about engineering and encourage them to consider CSUB when making plans for college,” Dr. Medina said. “What makes our programs special is that students can enjoy smaller class sizes while getting involved in research early on and even making connections with local industry professionals. CSUB is an excellent choice for students interested in engineering.”
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