Valley's MEC Program Opens its Doors to the Future of Engineering and Tech

The engineering program at Valley hosted an open house to help students explore engineering and technology pathways.

By: Kaia Mann, Opinion Editor

(L-R) Eren Hughes, Kevin Valdez, Kian Carrithers, Camila Rodrigues, Braeden Day, Kanam Romberger, Murphy Wright, Geovani Sorto, and Raul Castaneda from John Burroughs High School watch Return student Joshua Kubizne showcase a prototype that was built in 3 weeks. (Astrid Cortez for The Valley Star).

The Manufacturing, Electronics, and Construction program hosted an open house, welcoming college and high school students to explore the engineering and technology resources available at Valley through an array of lab demonstrations and informative lectures. 

The event, which drew in 50-80 students, took place in and outside of the engineering building, featuring labs exploring the production, design, management, and architectural process of engineering as well as 30-minute workshops led by professors from across the campus focussed on helping students navigate higher education.

“We wanted to do this as a CAP event and sort of bring awareness to the programs that we have in the department,” said Rebecca Stein, the department chair of applied technology. “The technology areas are not always something people always think of with the college so we wanted to let people know what's out there and what the different offerings are. We have lots of cool stuff to show and get people excited and see what the possibilities are.”  

The MEC program is one of the seven Career and Academic Pathways (CAP) offered at Valley and offers classes in disciplines such as mathematics, computer-aided design, and project management to help students find success in a variety of different educational and career domains.  

The workshops presented at the open house informed students how to develop soft skills, including teamwork, responsibility, and problem solving through non-credit courses available at Valley, link personal ambitions to an educational journey, build an effective resume, and gain insight into the intricacies of an engineering career.

Valleys' engineering program is home to a variety of different tools and resources including various CNC machines, 3D printers, oscilloscopes, and more. As a robot weaved throughout the corridor, those in attendance got to see what is capable through MEC.

“This particular event highlights the different programs that are a part of the MEC CAP,” said CAP coordinator and the Director of the Academic Resource Center Scott Weigand. “It's kind of a hidden thing (the engineering department) the fact that there's this type of equipment and these types of programs. A lot of times it kind of seems like it's kind of overlooked so showcasing more of the hands-on career technical education program here is pretty cool.” 

Electronic Professor George Panyarachun explains how a heart monitor works to students from John Burroughs High School. (Astrid Cortez for The Valley Star)

As students from John Burrows, Burbank, and Will Rogers High School filled in, they were given the opportunity to speak with professors and learn more about engineering as well as explore other aspects of Valley's campus. 

Attendees had access to additional offerings including an outreach and recruitment booth tailored for middle and high school students seeking academic and career guidance and a Build California booth showcasing diverse job prospects and perks within the state’s construction industry. 

“The architecture lab was really interesting seeing the software they were using and how they showed a clear definition of what it would be like if they actually created it,” said Natasha Dholoo a student from John Burrows high school about one of the labs focussed on transforming ideas into physical projects. “He gave a clear idea of what is needed, what was going into it, and the thought process behind it.”