More than 550 high school students and their parents converged on the University of Utah’s College of Engineering campus Saturday, Nov. 14, to get a taste of what it’s like to pursue a path in engineering and technology.
This year’s “Engineering Day,” when students come to learn about the engineering disciplines being taught at the U, brought in the biggest group ever, according to Morgan Boyack, academic coordinator for the U’s College of Engineering.
“This is an event that just keeps growing every year. Students are excited to see what it’s like to pursue a career in engineering, and they get a lot of hands-on experiences with demonstrations and presentations,” he said.
This year, 30 different sessions were available for students, ranging from a tour of the Utah Traffic Lab to an introduction to the No. 1-ranked Entertainment Arts & Engineering video game design program. Other presentations included sessions on ergonomics and safety, computer programming, nuclear engineering and big data.
Gizelle Conde, a 16-year-old junior at Herriman High School, wants to pursue mechanical engineering and robotics and said the day was full of fascinating information to get her on track.
“What I’ve seen really helped me decide on what I want to do,” she said. “We went into depth on what you need to start your career and the classes you need to take and what kind of scores you need to get. It helped a lot.”
Engineering Day is just one of several outreach efforts conducted by the College of Engineering to entice students to pursue a career in science and technology. The campus also hosts field trips, and advisors attend local schools to give presentations.