Tag Archives: Cal Poly Pomona

Let’s Talk STEM!

Maple Hill PLTW classes enjoy engineering day with Cal Poly students

By Kelli Gile

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile Maple Hill PLTW students use engineering skills to build spaghetti and marshmallow towers.

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile
Maple Hill PLTW students use engineering skills to build spaghetti and marshmallow towers.

Diamond Bar – Cal Poly Pomona Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Women in Engineering (WE) students recently spent a day with 200 Maple Hill Elementary students to talk about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and how it relates to everyday life.

The college students visited 4th and 5th grade classes for 10-minute presentations about engineering and a spaghetti tower challenge.

The youngsters raced to build the “strong and tall” structures using dried pasta, with tiny white marshmallows as the “glue.” They quickly demonstrated teamwork, leadership, and creativity skills to successfully work with the fragile materials.

“We worked together to find lots of ways to solve the problem,” said 4th grader Joshua Chan.

“Engineering is hard, but fun too!” added classmate Leah Owens.

The Cal Poly visitors worked alongside the elementary students during the activity.

Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile Cal Poly Pomona Women in Engineering and Project Lead the Way visit Maple Hill Elementary for a day of STEM education.


Photo courtesy: Kelli Gile
Cal Poly Pomona Women in Engineering and Project Lead the Way visit Maple Hill Elementary for a day of STEM education.

“It was very inspiring to see the frustration during the building turn into excitement when a free-standing structure was achieved,” Cal Poly student, Teresa Rodriquez, commented.

“We went to the school to help the students understand how engineers play a role in society, and to help them experience the process through a hands-on learning experience,” added another visitor, Jonathon Roberts.

Maple Hill launched the innovative PLTW program at the beginning of the school year, with kindergarten through fifth grade students immersed in robotics and engineering projects.

“It was a great day and our students enjoyed it a lot,” said kindergarten teacher Lisa Esse.
“We are hoping to continue and build our partnership with Cal Poly so that next year the engineering students will be coming on a regular basis.”

“I am glad to see both girls and boys so interested in STEM, and can’t wait to see the big creations their little minds develop in the future,” said Rodrigue

Freemont Femineers Explore Careers

A group of Fremont Academy students, called the Femineers, learn how to build wearable technology from Cal Poly engineering professors and female engineering students. (Photo Courtesy: Juliette Funes)

A group of Fremont Academy students, called the Femineers, learn how to build wearable technology from Cal Poly engineering professors and female engineering students. (Photo Courtesy: Juliette Funes)

By Juliette Funes

Pomona – A group of female students at the Fremont Academy of Engineering and Design are breaking through barriers and embracing career paths in science, technology, engineering and math – helping to lead the next generation of women into STEM careers.

Known as the Fremont Femineers, the group consists of 24 girls in Grades 10 and 11 – the top students in their class – who engage in hands-on STEM activities, including robotics and wearable technology.

“I’ve heard many times that STEM is not for girls, but they’re wrong,” said Elena Guzman, an 11th Grader and President of the Femineers. “These girls are smart and do amazing projects, and we were chosen because we’re full of potential. I think we’re a great group of girls who are going to do great things.”

The Fremont Academy of Engineering and Design is a Grade 7 to 12 Project Lead The Way (PLTW) school, composed of an equal number of boys and girls, all of whom take engineering classes.

The Femineers was created in 2013 in partnership with Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Engineering and is guided by the belief that girls will thrive in STEM careers if they are given the opportunity. The College, which has an 18 percent female enrollment, supplies the funding and academic support to sustain the three-year program.

The program provides students with project-based learning, female engineering student mentors and college counseling while building a sustainable community of current and future STEM leaders. They are now the subject of a PLTW documentary.

“The Femineers are treading ground in what has historically been a male-dominated industry,” said Fremont engineering and computer science teacher, Scott Lukesh, who runs the program and was recently recognized by PLTW for his commitment to being a master teacher. “It’s a field that we can change. It’s a difficult thing to do, but there’s no stopping this revolution, and I believe the Femineers can make a real impact at Fremont, Cal Poly and beyond.”

This month, Cal Poly Pomona engineering professors and female engineering students are bringing their expertise to lead the Femineers in building wearable technology. This new industry incorporates computer and advanced electronic technologies into clothing and accessories with the vision of weaving technology into everyday life. Last year, Cal Poly and the Femineers built creative robots.

A Femineer Excursion to Lake Arrowhead is planned for Jan. 28 to 30 to complete wearable technology projects and build a strong community amongst themselves.

“I want these girls to be empowered to know that they can do anything they set their minds to,” said Lukesh, a 25-year educator. “We need to have projects like this to show girls and their families that they’re good at it. The world needs them.”

“The Femineers program has the amazing capability of changing the dynamic of the STEM field,” said PUSD Superintendent, Richard Martinez. “It’s a unique pathway that provides innumerable opportunities for these accomplished young women, who are already trailblazers in the STEM world, to learn the concepts, develop the skills and build the confidence to be successful after high school.”

For more information on the Femineers, visit www.facebook.com/fremontfemineers.