NEWS
COES hosts aspiring engineers at annual Engineering & Science Day
Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science recently welcomed over 900 junior and senior high school students for its annual Engineering & Science Day.
High school students from throughout north and central Louisiana, and south Arkansas converged on the Tech campus to learn about the challenges of our world that can be solved by engineers and scientists. Attendance at this annual event has rapidly grown from the 650 students that attended just two years ago.
The event is held every spring and is hosted by the Louisiana Tech Engineers and Scientists Association (LTESA), a student organization for all programs within the College of Engineering and Science. Students do all of the work in preparation for this event, including extending invitations and arranging demonstrations.
Will Long, a mechanical engineering student and president of the 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.”
The attending students were challenged to think broadly, be focused, and dream big by keynote speaker Terrence Sookdeo, operations manager in the Gulf of Mexico for Baker Hughes INTEQ.
After the presentation, students were divided into groups of 20 and guided around campus for lab tours and project demonstrations. Demonstrations included special projects in nanosystems, fuel efficient vehicles, concrete canoe, freshman and senior design projects, and many other student and faculty activities.
After the tours, visiting students actually competed in a design competition, conducted by the Society of Women Engineers, with the Home School High School students from Ruston winning the competition.
Louisiana Tech College of Engineering and Science Dean Stan Napper says, “The demand for creative individuals to learn and apply the principles of science and engineering is growing, and the reward is great.”
“The growing attendance at the E&S Day event, and the service of over 100 Louisiana Tech students during the event, are encouraging signs that the challenges of the 21st century will be met.”