FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2014
Danielle McNamara
(510) 987-0230
Press Release
Event date: Saturday April 5, 2014
Highly visual event!
Photo opportunities 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
EVENT DAY CONTACT: Alexandria Leckliter
UCSC MESA Director (c) 831-212-1575
More than 500 middle school and high school students from the more than 50 central California schools will descend on the University of California Santa Cruz campus to compete in Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Day.
These students beat out others during preliminary competitions in events such as the egg drop, prosthetic arm and mousetrap car. The projects help students link the core math and science concepts they learn in the classroom to real world applications.
Students learn to understand design principles, implement problem-solving techniques and tackle other science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) topics that help them to think like engineers.
MESA Days are an annual showcase of students’ math and science know-how. Through MESA and MESA Day competitions, students can explore future careers in science, engineering and other technical fields.
Winning teams move on to compete in the Statewide championship at the University of the Pacific in May.
Other highlights include a college and financial aid information booth for parents, local doctors teaching students how to suture, magnetic silly putty and other STEM-related activities.
Students attending the event are served by MESA centers at UC Santa Cruz, UC Santa Barbara and California State University Fresno.
MESA is an academic preparation program that serves more than 28,000 California pre-college, community college and university students who are educationally disadvantaged.
For more information about MESA, visit mesa.ucop.edu. Follow us on Twitter @MESASTEM.