PORT HUENEME, Calif. –
Local high school students with a strong interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduated from a rigorous 11-week Pre-Engineering Program (PEP) on Dec. 8 after learning about naval STEM careers and applications.
The virtual graduation ceremony included command staff from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, (NSWC PHD), family and friends of the graduating students and officials from schools in participating districts Oxnard Union High School District and Ventura Unified School District.
Tom McCoy, superintendent of Oxnard Union High School, shared his memories with attendees of when the program began 20 years ago, and the importance of offering students valuable work experience and career opportunities in Ventura County.
“Here we are 20 years later, celebrating success of over two decades of students being able to have hands-on experience and understand that high wage and high need careers are available here in Ventura County through civil service at the naval base as well as through different military service in the engineering field,” McCoy said.
NSWC PHD Commanding Officer Capt. Andrew Hoffman also echoed the opportunity for students to learn first-hand about naval engineering careers through different projects in the program.
“My hope is that by having the chance to experience these engineering concepts first-hand, and thoroughly studying them through this program, you’ve gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for engineering and will pursue it as a career,” Hoffman told the attendees.
The 25 students, hand-picked from schools in the Oxnard Union High School District and Ventura Unified School District, remotely worked alongside scientists and engineers from NSWC PHD's Office of Technology, Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center and the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
Ramon Flores, STEM coordinator for PHD, said in a separate interview he and the PHD team adapted the program for the current COVID-19 landscape by examining which modules would work best in a remote environment, and conducting the program entirely through Zoom.
"We studied the different modules to see which ones made sense to maintain in an online environment, and which ones we could modify or set aside," Flores explained. "The systems engineering module was a natural choice, and we could bring it into a Zoom environment."
For the students to successfully execute the projects, Flores said he utilized a concept called STEM-in-a-Box. Flores packaged the tools and materials needed for each module and delivered the box to each school participating in the program.
"For the environmental engineering module, for example, the kids would normally build an infiltration system as a group, but for this one, we took all the elements the students needed to run the experiment, and we sent them in a box to different schools," Flores said. "Each student picked up their box from school a couple of days before the scheduled activity, and they had it with them to complete the experiment."
Student access to adequate technology was another challenge Flores had to overcome because some students did not own laptops, and could use only school-provided Chromebooks, which are limited because they don’t run Microsoft Corp. or Apple Inc. software. Flores and his team modified some modules to work with both Chromebooks and laptops.
"It's not fair to assume that every student has access to a device," Flores explained. "So one of the challenges with the coding, for example, is not all students had laptops; they had a Chromebook. So, we had to figure out how to download software to a Chromebook, and that was a bit of a challenge."
However, the online environment did bring some advantages for the students, including learning from a graduate professor at the Naval Postgraduate School—a first for the Pre-Engineering Program.
"We did something very innovative; we partnered with the Naval Postgraduate School, and one of the professors gave a lecture on model-based systems engineering, and the kids followed along perfectly," Flores said. "The students had to write software that simulated a missile launch and present their results, and it was amazing how in-line they were."
Shadow Ramirez is a junior at Oxnard Middle College High School and participated in the Pre-Engineering Program for the first time. She saw the program as an opportunity to explore different specialties within engineering, and said she learned a great deal while participating.
"Before the Pre-Engineering Program, I focused solely on computer science as a career and did not explore other engineering fields," Ramirez explained. "I didn't know much about electrical engineering, ocean engineering, and model-based systems engineering, among others. The staff taught us so much about those fields, and we participated in small projects that made us think as an engineer would."
Programs like the Pre-Engineering Program require students work in groups, and having a strong team will often result in successful projects. Juliet Ward, a senior at Foothill Technology High School, also participated in the program and said the other students made a huge difference for her.
"Whoever selected the kids in the program did a fantastic job," Ward said. "The group of kids were all interested and wanted to be there, and it made the program more interactive instead of it being random or just anyone showing up."
The command staff is also critical in the success of the Pre-Engineering Program, according to Flores. He said the PHD team’s dedication to mentor and work with these students made a considerable impact.
"I can't thank our staff enough because these engineers and scientists are giving up their time after they put in a full day of work; it's not just the students," Flores explained. "If it weren't for our staff, this program wouldn't work, and we are fortunate and blessed to have altruistic volunteers who are willing to give up their time, and the students are very appreciative of that."
In the end, Flores says it’s programs like the Pre-Engineering Program that not only help to educate students interested in STEM careers but also contribute to the recruiting of future Navy scientists and engineers.
"The program has two goals: to give the students a better understanding of STEM careers, particularly STEM careers with the Navy," Flores explained. "Once they graduate, we want them to consider the Navy and Port Hueneme Division as their employer of choice. In the end, many do come back to us as interns and fully degreed engineers and scientists."