Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers to Host Pre-College Symposium at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Program aimed to inspire hundreds of students to pursue STEM-related careers

INDUSTRY, Calif., Oct. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) will bring together about 500 middle and high school students from across the U.S. to Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), the Pre-College Symposium University host, to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in an interactive environment.

The SHPE Foundation Pre-College Symposium will be held on November 1, 2013 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The one-day event is designed to motivate students to not only complete high school and attend college but to pursue STEM related degrees and careers. The symposium will be divided into two tracks - high school and middle school - and will feature several hands-on activities as well as workshops related to financial aid, college  options, college admissions, and navigating college life.  During the college fair, high school attendees will meet with representatives from 25 universities, corporations, organizations and scholarship programs.

David J. Russomanno, Dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at IUPUI, and Gloria Valdez, Executive Director for the Program Executive Office for Submarines at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) will keynote and kick off the event. 

"We're proud to partner with SHPE as the University Host for this year's Pre-College Symposium," said Russomanno.  "One of our primary objectives is to grow diversity in engineering and technology fields and this program exposes young men and women to the endless possibilities that an engineering and technology degree creates for them."

Alonzie Scott, III, Director, Enterprise Talent Management Office at NAVSEA added, "Our partnership with SHPE allows us to connect and share STEM-related opportunities with Latino communities across the nation. Participating in the pre-college symposium is just one of the many activities NAVSEA supports to introduce Latino youths to the excitement of STEM within the Navy. Through our active involvement, we are pleased to receive SHPE's Government Agency of the Year Award highlighting our commitment to growing our diverse and talented workforce through STEM-related activities and career opportunities."

"SHPE's conference features the Pre-College Symposium as a critical part of our program," said Pilar Montoya, SHPE CEO. "Through the Pre-College Symposium, we are able to make an impact in the lives of hundreds of young Hispanic students every year, introducing them to the STEM industry, an opportunity that some may not have ever been exposed to. Through the full day of activities, these students are able to see hands-on how their math and science classes are important in making a contribution to the world."

Some of the workshops include:

Shake Your Can Can! 
This workshop will explain to students the fundamental principles of noise and vibration while making it an interactive experience that will allow them to work in teams. This competitive and dynamic workshop will also describe the requirements of working on a project providing a sneak peek on real engineering challenges at General Motors.

Speak Binary: The Language of Computers 
Intel employees and interns will lead these hands-on activities to walk both middle and high school students through how the concepts of binary can be replicated into fun games and puzzles.

The Science Behind Agriculture
Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the field of agriculture through experiments which relate to some of the same techniques used by scientists at Dow AgroSciences. 

The symposium is part of the 2013 SHPE Conference which will be held at the Indiana Convention Center from October 30 – November 3.

About SHPE Foundation
The SHPE Foundation works exclusively to develop educational enrichment and academic outreach initiatives for Latinos/as that extends throughout pre-college to PhD pathway.

About SHPE
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers offers a network of 341 chapters nationally. SHPE's mission is to change lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. SHPE provides a variety of programming and resources including hosting the largest annual Hispanic technical conference in the nation.  For more information, visit www.shpe.org.

SOURCE Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers