Cal State LA launches STEM Expo to spotlight community college interns and engineering careers

Cal State LA showcased the work of its community college summer interns as it hosted the inaugural “Building Bridges to STEM Careers Expo” on Friday, August 1.

The event, which was co-sponsored by Growth Sector and Caltrans, highlighted the early accomplishments of the STEM Core Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Pathway, an initiative that encourages community college students to complete bachelor’s degrees in engineering and pursue high-wage, high-growth careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The expo welcomed about 40 interns, their Cal State LA student mentors, faculty, public sector leaders, and employers. Also in attendance were about 70 students from Los Angeles City College (LACC), East Los Angeles College (ELAC), and Los Angeles Mission College, who, as members of the Summer Bridge program, could potentially serve as future interns.

“The interns are in the early stages of their academic careers but are able to participate in hands-on experiences under the guidance of our own students and faculty advisors,” said Charles Liu, chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “It’s a very immersive environment that informs them of what is expected in the real world.”

The expo culminated with the interns exhibiting their research and experiments of the past two months. They explained their processes and findings to the Summer Bridge students through storyboards and demonstrations.

Read more...