Engineering a bright future

CSUB to host 500 high school students for Engineering Day

By California State University, Bakersfield

February 13^th, 2023

In the 10 years that California State University, Bakersfield has offered engineering programs, hundreds of students have graduated with degrees in the subject, going on to work at Edwards Air Force Base, Chevron, Aera and other local employers. With its upcoming Engineering Day, CSUB hopes to inspire more students to join the ranks of those successful alumni.

CSUB’s School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering will host 500 students from 15 area high schools on Feb. 24. Sponsored by Edison International, Engineering Day is an opportunity for students to learn more about engineering and hear from industry professionals, including alumni of CSUB’s engineering programs.

"To drive the future economic development, Kern County needs more local engineers,” said Dr. Jane Dong, dean of NSME. “As the only four-year university in Kern that offers engineering degree programs, we are partnering with local high schools to celebrate National Engineers Week and increase awareness of how engineers contribute to a better future. I am excited that 500 students will join us to get firsthand experience by interacting with engineers developed by CSUB’s engineering program. I hope this experience will spark interest in some of the students and motivate them to consider engineering as their future career."

After taking two years off during COVID, Engineering Day is returning bigger than ever, with a crowd double that of the previous event held in February 2020. To accommodate the larger audience, this year’s event will take place at CSUB’s Doré Theatre. Students will be coming from all over the area, including from as far as Lemoore.

“It’s really important for our community members to know that not only do we have an engineering program, but it’s successful too,” said Dr. Andrea Medina, director of grants and outreach for NSME. “With small class sizes and undergraduate research opportunities, our students get an experience here they won’t get anywhere else.”

The day will begin with check-in at 9:30 a.m., followed by a welcome message from Dr. Dong. Presentations will include a keynote address from Brent Ilott, vice president of operations at Aera Energy, and CSUB engineering alumni will talk about their experience at the university and in the workforce. Panelists include Grace Roman and Alfredo Arevalo (both from Edwards Air Force Base), Jesus Banuelos (previously with Mazzei Injector Company and now starting his own construction company) and Martin Mendoza (mechanical engineer at Rain for Rent).

“A number of our students are hired before they even graduate,” Dr. Medina said. “Local employers are snapping up our students. They want to hire them because they’ll stay here.”

Engineering Day will coincide with CSUB’s Coding Cup, put on by the university's Computer Science Department, the Software Engineering Club, the CSUB Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers and the Linux Club. From 10 a.m. to noon, visiting high school students who have already registered and CSUB students will compete in the Walter W. Stiern Library.

“The purpose of the Coding Cup is to promote computer science to CSUB students, high school students and even local community college students interested in STEM majors,” said Yeana Bond, vice president of the university’s Society of Women Engineers club and treasurer of the Software Engineering Club.

Students who leave inspired to study engineering at CSUB will have a few different options from which to choose; the bachelor of science in engineering is offered with concentrations in biosystems and agricultural engineering, energy and power engineering, petroleum engineering and engineering management.

They will also have the chance to get involved with engineering research as undergraduates — including through the Chevron-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Program — and in faculty laboratories on topics like renewable resources, mechanical engineering and water treatment.

“Our students find success in many different areas in our local community,” said Dr. Luis Cabrales Arriaga, chair of CSUB’s Department of Physics & Engineering, adding that they work in oil, environmental, aerospace and agricultural industries.

“The student-to-faculty ratio is small, and the students get good exposure working side by side in the labs with the engineering faculty," he said. "Our professors are very active in obtaining funding from federal, state and private sources, thus the students have not only the opportunity to perform research at a very high level, but also to present at local, regional, national and international scientific conferences in addition to publish research papers in world-class journals.”

The tentative schedule for Engineering Day is as follows:

9-9:30 a.m.: Check-in and breakfast snacks

9:30-10 a.m.: Welcome from NSME Dean Jane Dong and dismissal of students competing in Coding Cup (pre-registration required)

10-10:15 a.m.: Presentation on CSUB Engineering Department by Dr. Luis Cabrales

10:15-10:30 a.m.: Trivia games

10:30-10:45 a.m.: Break

10:45-11:15 a.m.: Alumni panel Q&A with Jesus Banuelos (Class of 2018), Martin Mendoza, PE (Class of 2019), Grace Roman (Class of 2020), Alfredo Arevalo (Class of 2020)