Media Advisory
July 18-19, 2013; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cal State L.A. students ‘IMPACT’ local kids,
help aspire them to become engineers and scientists
More than 70 middleschoolers to launch rockets, drop eggs,
race cardboard boats, make ice cream
Los Angeles, CA -- With the goal of sparking the interest of middleschoolers in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Cal State L.A. will present two days of fun-filled, hands-on science and engineering activities as part of its IMPACT LA Summer Camp on Thursday, July 18 and Friday, July 19.
Led by CSULA graduate students, the free camp is designed to “impact” more than 70 sixth through eighth grade students from the Greater Los Angeles area by providing a glimpse of what a future career as an engineer and scientist might be like.
IMPACT LA stands for Improving Minority Partnerships and Access through CISE*-related Teaching (*CISE refers to “Computer and Information Science and Engineering”). Funded by a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the program also pairs college graduate students with partner teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District to engage middleschoolers in STEM-related research.
For more about the IMPACT LA NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education Program, go to http://impactla.calstatela.edu.
Photo Opportunities
Thursday, July 18:
9 to 10 a.m. – Fly Me to the Moon activity with rockets (Engineering & Technology Patio)
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Building Telescopes (E&T Patio South), and Junior Wildlife Biologist (Health Center grass field) Groups of students will rotate through each activity.
3 to 5 p.m. – Siege! Design Challenge (E&T Patio North)
Friday, July 19:
9 to 10 a.m. (group activity) – Paper and Pencil Flashlight (E&T Patio)
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Egg Drop Challenge (E&T Patio North), and I Scream for Ice Cream (E&T Patio South) Groups of students will rotate through each activity.
3 to 5 p.m. – Cardboard Boat Design begins at 3 p.m., followed by Cardboard Boat Race in the campus pool at about 4 p.m.
Media representatives are welcome to observe the activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Organizers, teachers and students will also be available for photos and interviews. To make arrangements, call the Public Affairs office ahead of time at Cal State L.A., (323) 343-3050.
Cal State L.A. is located at the intersection of the 10 and 710 freeway. Public permit dispenser parking is available in Lot 5 and upper level Parking Structure C. For campus map and directions, go to /univ/maps/cslamap.php.
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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 225,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to the Honors College for high-achieving students. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu