Prospective Students
Pre-College Programs
Pre-college activities are directed at Kindergarten through Community College students. These programs are designed to encourage pre-university women and girls to consider engineering as a career choice. Outreach programs include strategies to educate young women and their parents, teachers, and counselors about engineering opportunities. Past outreach recruitment activities have included: Building an Engineer workshops, Shadow an Engineering Student Day, Engineering Road Show, Girl Scout Engineering Badge Day, elementary school workshops, and career fairs. This year WEP is adding an on-campus admitted students program for female high school students considering studying engineering at Cal Poly. The purpose of this program is to encourage female students to study engineering at Cal Poly. This event will include a panel discussion with current Cal Poly female engineering students, alumnae and industry representatives as well as opportunities for one on one discussion. See What's New for schedule of upcoming activities. For information regarding admission procedures for Cal Poly visit the Admissions web site or contact the Women's Engineering Program office.
Building an Engineer
The purpose of the Building an Engineer workshop is to introduce female high school and middle school students to engineering as a career choice. The participants that attend these workshops are introduced to a variety of engineering disciplines, provided a hands-on learning experience, and presented with female engineering role models. The workshop is generally a day long event that includes lunch. The ultimate goal of the workshop is to increase enrollment of underrepresented students in college engineering programs.
Middle school students at the Annual "Building an Engineer" Day
Shadow an Engineering Student
Shadow an Engineering Student day is held during the spring break of the local high schools. This program pairs high school students with Cal Poly engineering students to spend the day "shadowing" an engineering student. The day begins with an introduction meeting in the University Union, and then the high school students attend classes and labs with an assigned Cal Poly engineering student. After lunch is provided to the students a discussion and question and answer session follows. Shadow an Engineering Student day provides high school students the opportunity to learn first hand about engineering and college life.
4th Grade Day
4th Grade Day is an event that takes place during National Engineers Week. Cal Poly engineering students go to classrooms in San Luis Obispo, Los Osos, and Atascadero and do engineering activites with 4th grade students to get them interested in engineering.
4th graders working on an engineering activity to make
"puff mobiles" at 4th Grade Day
Girl Scout Engineering Badge Day
Annually, WEP/SWE hosts a Girl Scout Engineering Badge day. Local Junior Girl Scouts are invited to Cal Poly to earn a "Cal Poly SWE Engineering Patch". These young ladies typically participate in 5 engineering projects that last 25 minutes each.
