NEWS

Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science opens its doors to an estimated 800 junior and senior high school students for its annual Engineering and Science Day.

Students interested in careers in math, science and engineering attended the day-long event. Exceeding the 650 students that attended last year’s event, students this year came from high schools in south Arkansas, northwest Louisiana, northeast Louisiana, and as far south as New Iberia, Louisiana.

Engineering and Science Day is held at Tech every spring and is hosted by the Louisiana Tech Engineers and Scientists Association (LTESA), the student organization for all majors in the College of Engineering and Science. The students do all of the work, including extending the invitations and arranging the demonstrations.

Nick Beard, a mechanical engineering student and President of LTESA, says that “Engineering and Science Day is a great way for high school students to learn more about what engineers and scientists do and for current Tech students to give back to the College by hosting the event.”

After a welcome by Engineering and Science Dean Stan Napper and an initial presentation on the Grand Challenges of Engineering held in Tech’s Howard Auditorium, the visitors were divided into 40 groups of 20 students each where they were taken on tours and demonstrations. They had the opportunity to visit outstanding research facilities such as the Institute for Micromanufacturing and the Biomedical Engineering Center, see student projects such as those built by freshman engineering students, and learn how an engineering and science education enables technological solutions such as those in senior projects. With the United States and countries around the world pleading for more scientists and engineers, Dr. David Hall, Faculty Advisor for LTESA, noted that this year’s attendance is a positive sign.

Written by Dave Guerin