UC Merced Magazine - Volume XVII, Issue 3

CHANGING

An Upward Bound high school student takes a deeper look at his subject.

THE VALLEY'S COLLEGE-GOING CULTURE On a recent field trip to UC Merced, Pioneer Elementary School students got a glimpse into engineering, building endurance-testable towers with dowels, playdough and other common household items. Isaac Mejia's roughly 2-foot tower almost withstood the entire 7-pound load, falling apart only when the final weight was placed. If he could do it again, he would probably distribute the weight more evenly. The event closed out UC Merced's annual Engineers Week celebration and was aimed at sparking an interest in higher education and possibly in attending the University of California campus in their backyard. Merced County Superintendent of Schools Steve Tietjen said the effects such experiences can have on a child are immeasurable. By Samuel Yniguez, UC Merced "But I think it only matters if you have fun," said Isaac, 11.

CalTeach offers Bobcat Summer STEM Academy, a series of weekly workshops for middle and high school students at UC Merced.The workshops are created by UC Merced faculty, researchers, students and staff and are designed to give students one-of-a-kind, hands-on STEM experiences.

"Many of our students don't have a home background that has experienced a four-year university and may not understand the advantages that having a degree creates for them," Tietjen said. "The hope is that, by visiting the campus at an early age, these kids in Merced County can start to see themselves as university students." But before a student even gets to that point, Teitjen said, there are benchmarks that in the past were not met. Since UC Merced entered the picture, he said, he has seen a change in how local school systems operate.

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UC MERCED MAGAZINE// UCMerc e d .e d u

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