Board 149: Pioneering Pathways for High School Students in STEM Education (Work in Progress)

Abstract Our program aims to impact local high school students by highlighting engineering as a vital component of STEM education and building bridges to college life. A distinguished high school known for its robust engineering program serves as our partner, with a focus on underrepresented students. Our goal is to provide high school students with a taste of college-level engineering experiences and promote their interest in STEM fields. We successfully hosted 15 students, of whom 9 identified as underrepresented, including LGBTQIA+, women in STEM, and minority students. Most students enjoyed and highly valued their experience. Teachers were supportive and recommended expanding the program to other schools. We adapted a college-level lab experience to make it more accessible to high school students and enhanced the campus tour to provide them with a holistic view of university life. We have found that the key takeaway from this initiative is the ease and success of the endeavor. Our program represents a new contribution to pre-college engineering education by providing high school students with hands-on exposure to engineering concepts and a glimpse into life as college students. Our future plans include making this an annual event, expanding it to other schools and student communities, and improving non-lab activities to further engage underrepresented communities. This program aims to increase the diversity, equity, and inclusion of all students in STEM education, and we are committed to enhancing the experience for both students and teachers. By fostering early interest in engineering and STEM, we hope to encourage more students to pursue these fields and bridge the gap between pre-college and college education.