The Fariborz Maseeh College of Engineering and computer science at Portland State is seeking students majoring in computer science, engineering and other fields to participate in its annual High School Innovation Challenge.
Participants will mentor high school students from local Portland schools as they solve problems related to this year’s topic: urban sustainability. Last year’s challenge topic was technology for aging citizens.
While the program focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines and their applications, directors of the program are looking to diversify the range of majors that can apply to mentor students, including social science majors, pre-health majors and students from the College of Urban and Public Affairs.
“Computer science and engineering majors are good problem solvers, and that makes them valuable members of the mentorship program,” said Julie Rutherford, communications director at the Fariborz Maseeh College of Engineering and computer science. “But we’re also looking for mentors that can address the human side of the issues we are presenting to our prospective student participants, and that can include a much more broad range of majors.”
Applicants get a variety of benefits from the program, including a small stipend and experience teaching to younger generations.
“PSU students will get to interact with younger students interested in the same things they are. They’ll get experience with teaching what they know to a younger crowd,” said Yeruwelle De Rouen, recruitment and outreach coordinator at the Fariborz Maseeh College of Engineering and computer science.
While mentors will play a role in the development of ideas, De Rouen said the goal of the project is to leave the creative aspect up to high school students.
“One reason why we keep the topic of the event so broad—technology for aging citizens, making cities greener, etc.—is so that students will have the freedom to do what they want,” De Rouen said.
2015 will mark PSU’s third year hosting the program, which has doubled the amount of high schools participating from 2013–14. Rutherford said steps have been taken this year to continue expanding the scope of the event.
“We’ve started contacting Portland public schools and alternative schools a little earlier this year,” Rutherford said. “We had some participation from alternative schools last year, but we’re looking to expand that.”
This year’s outreach will be directed toward alternative high schools as part of its continuing mission to reach students who wouldn’t otherwise participate in STEM related fields of research in a collegiate setting.
“In 2013, we had four Portland public schools competing. In 2014, we had every Portland public school and a couple alternative schools. This year we’re really pushing to involve more of those schools,” De Rouen said.
According to the announcement of the 2014–15 challenge, “Young women and students from diverse backgrounds and communities underrepresented in STEM disciplines are strongly encouraged to participate.”
“We mostly leave it up to the schools to select students for the program, but we encourage those schools to find students that are underrepresented in some of these fields and try to get them interested,” Du Rouen said.
Mentor info sessions for PSU students will be held on Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. and Nov. 20 at 12 p.m. in room 510 of the Engineering Building.