On Oct. 17, 2014 nearly 100 girls visited Sierra College, were inspired by entrepreneurial women in tech fields, made hands-on projects in labs and met for round table discussions with mentors from local companies.
Posts Tagged ‘Sierra STEM Collaborative’
3D Printers in High Schools Prepare Students for Advanced Manufacturing
Monday, November 4th, 2013
Sierra College STEM Collaborative recently provided 3D printers to Colfax, Del Oro and Placer High Schools to introduce Career Technical Education students to Product Design and Advanced Manufacturing careers.
See the new 3D printer at Del Oro High School.
According to a report on CNBC Disruptor Series on Manufacturing Disruptors, exponential growth is expected in 3D printing and robotics. Learn about community-based product development in second report on Quirky.
Learn more about 3D printing from the Additive Manufacturing Turning Mind into Matter — Industry Evaluation and Recommendations Report, published by Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT). The paper is intended to help both businesses and educators learn more about emerging Additive Manufacturing technologies.
Weld Expo at Sierra College Saturday, April 27
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Discover your passion for welding, see the latest welding equipment, talk with experts, try welding, enroll in TIG or MIG advanced seminars, check out virtual welding, meet faculty and students, see pipe welding demonstrations and so much more at Weld Expo at Sierra College on Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 9 am to 4 pm. Free admission and free parking.
Sierra STEM Offers Career Cruising Feb. 4
Thursday, January 24th, 2013
Teachers & Counselors learn to Career Cruising at Sierra STEM Workshop
Colfax Record: Engineers in Training
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Martha Garcia, Colfax Record Editor, wrote Engineers in training at Colfax High on May 24 about the Weimar Hills students’ experience building Sierra College CACT Tech-Explorer catapults.
From the article: “Teachers and administrators hope a recent visit to Colfax High School will catapult Weimar Hills Elementary School students into technical careers. On May 15, the eighth-graders were introduced to design, engineering and manufacturing concepts at the Tech-Explorer event in the classroom of Jonathan Schwartz, Colfax High math and pre-engineering teacher. Students used lathes, mills and other power and hand tools to build and assemble catapults.
The event was made possible through a Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Collaborative Grant from Sierra College. The program not only introduces students to Colfax High, it also aims to make them aware of opportunities in high-paid local careers and education paths at Sierra College in mechatronics, engineering, welding, energy technology and drafting and engineering support.
Schwartz said the Weimar Hills students first worked on their math skills using the fraction contraption, a game Schwartz developed as a tool for learning math. Last week, the 60-plus students spent the day in Schwartz’s classroom building catapults out of aluminum and wood. ‘They used all sorts of shop tools from a mill to a metal lathe, they got a taste of the high school … and they got an introduction into pre-engineering,’ Schwartz said. …” Read more on the Colfax Record
Project Based Learning Conference in Napa this June
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012PBL World!, a Project Based Learning conference to be held June 18-22, 2012, will bring 400 teachers together to share ideas, listen to keynote speakers, and attend workshops and coaching sessions. Visit www.pblworld.org for more information.
Del Oro hosts Sierra STEM Instructors at SketchUp workshop
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
College and high school instructors spent Saturday, April 14 together at Del Oro High School to learn how their classes might use the free Google SketchUp 3D modeling program combined with the sketchyphysics plug in that animates designs. The Sierra STEM Collaborative at Sierra College, dedicated to promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers, organized the event. Instructors from Sierra College as well as Placer, Woodcreek and Del Oro high schools also shared best practices and toured the Tech Essentials, Welding and Wood labs to see equipment and student projects.
According to participants, sharing ideas with other Career Technical Education teachers is one of the best forms of professional development. Participants said that what they learned was relevant, they could see their classes importing sketches and CAD drawings into SketchUp and that sharing concepts, projects and teaching tools was very valuable.
Tom Stargaard, Tech Essentials teacher at Del Oro, demonstrated SketchUp, explained how he integrated it into the Tech Essentials class required for freshmen and then helped participants try it themselves. See Tom’s projects at https://sites.google.com/a/puhsd.k12.ca.us/sketchup/. In addition, the teachers discussed assignments using the Career Cruising program supplied to the schools through the Sierra STEM Collaborative to help students identify careers and the education path to get to their goals. 
Sierra College’s goal is to attract students to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education and careers explained Carol-Pepper-Kittredge, Sierra College CACT director, who administers the Sierra STEM Collaborative. “College and high school instructors told us that they want to see labs, share projects and find out about other teaching tools,” said Pepper-Kittredge. “When college and high school instructors collaborate, many students benefit and it contributes to a smoother transition to college.”
The California Community College Chancellor’s Office awarded grants to Sierra College to create a pipeline of students prepared to fill the need for skilled technical employees. For information, go to www.sierraschoolworks.com or contact Carol Pepper-Kittredge, director, Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, Sierra College, at cpepper-kittredge@sierracollege.edu or (916) 660-7801.
Loomis News: Grant catapults Del Oro students
Friday, January 20th, 2012Check out the 1/19/2012 issue of the Loomis News Grant catapults Del Oro students to see how Del Oro High School students are exploring Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and benefiting from a partnership with the Sierra College Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT). The students built Tech-Explorer catapults in a hands-on learning experience that introduces product development careers.
Catapult Launches Interest in Product Development Careers
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Del Oro High School students in Loomis may never have considered how products such as phones, sun glasses and cars are designed, produced and sold. After building the Tech-Explorer catapults, developed by Sierra College in Rocklin, CA through grant funding, freshman in the Tech Essentials class discovered new skills and explored careers in design and product development.
Daniel Gayaldo, Principal, Del Oro High School says that the school has benefited from the Sierra College STEM Collaborative (www.sierraschoolworks.com). Through the partnership with Sierra College, teachers had professional development opportunities, consulted with college faculty and went on externships at manufacturers. In addition, the grant provided classroom equipment similar to what is used in industry and projects like the Tech-Explorer catapult. “The grant provided by Sierra College through the Sierra STEM Collaborative has opened up an exciting new world of hands-on experiences to our students,” said Gayaldo.
Freshmen are enthusiastic about the applied academics catapult project that included using mills, lathes and hydraulic presses according to Tom Stargaard who teaches Tech Essentials at Del Oro. “For students who have never made something from scratch or used industrial tools, it is a very empowering experience,” said Stargaard.
After completing the catapults during the week of December 12, 2011, students’ evaluations were very positive. Del Oro students reported:
“I had fun getting to work hands-on with the tools and materials. I like the amount of trust we had to do it ourselves.”
“I liked learning how to use new tools and creating something that worked.”
“I enjoyed getting to build a project by myself.”
“My favorite part was finishing it and watching it in action.”
Sierra College’s goal is to interest high school students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and careers explained Carol-Pepper-Kittredge, Sierra College CACT director, who administers the program. “The applied learning experience exposes students to product development careers,” said Pepper-Kittredge. “If students discover an interest in manufacturing, they may want to study Mechatronics, Engineering, Welding, Energy Technology and Drafting Engineering Support at Sierra College and learn more at http://www.sierracollege.edu/programs/cte/programs.html. Local employers are actively recruiting from these programs,” said Pepper-Kittredge.
Students apply math and measurement skills to produce metal parts of the catapult using hand and power tools. Then they assemble the catapults and compete against each other to see whose ball goes the greatest distance and is the most accurate. To learn more, go to www.tech-explorer.com.
The National Science Foundation and California Community College Chancellor’s Office awarded grants to Sierra College to create a pipeline of students from middle school to high school to college interested in and prepared to fill the need for skilled technical employees. For information, go to www.sierraschoolworks.com or contact Carol Pepper-Kittredge, director, Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, Sierra College, at cpepper-kittredge@sierracollege.edu or (916) 660-7801.
