If there’s one thing the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers does when it takes its engineering skills out of the classroom, is make waves. Whether the members are bringing new learning opportunities to campus or taking part in community outreach programs, SHPE can always be found designing its next feat of engineering.
Last night, SHPE members held their first cardboard “regatta” boat race at Manual High School, about a 10-minute drive from campus. The event was planned for members of SHPE Jr., the Bradley-led chapter of high school students at the school.
At the boat race yesterday afternoon, students of Manual High School’s SHPE Jr. raced cardboard boats in the high school pool they had built with members of the Bradley SHPE chapter. One group managed to make it one lap before its cardboard boat sank.
“[Students were] taking an engineer’s approach in creating cardboard boats that they can race in their high school’s pool,” Luis Lorenzo, SHPE president and senior mechanical engineering major, said. “I think the [regatta race] is going to be an annual thing, actually. This was our first one, which is pretty awesome.”
Activities like the regatta race are being planned throughout the semester as part of SHPE’s outreach efforts, according to outreach officer and high school ambassador Marlon Solito-Vargas.
“Bradley SHPE outreach includes planning events for all SHPE members to attend,” Solito-Vargas, a civil engineering major, said. “For example, we come into Manual High School and do tutoring and mentoring, and through our club SHPE Jr., we teach the kids about engineering, science, technology and math through projects like [the regatta race].”
According to Solito-Vargas, SHPE has more outreach activities planned for Manual High School, including a bridge construction contest and the construction of a five-foot catapult.
“It’s more than these projects, though,” Solito-Vargas said. “It’s taking these kids to places they’ve never been before. It’s engineering related. We’ve taken them to the Riverfront Museum for Museum Days, the Caterpillar Headquarters, a lot of engineering-related places — private and public.”
Solito-Vargas also said SHPE is teaching the high school students about college, from how to apply for FAFSA to how to apply for scholarships and how to get students motivated for the future.
“It’s a low-income high school compared to others in the district, and we wanted to make sure we could give every kid an opportunity, rich or poor,” Solito Vargas said.
For more information on SHPE and its outreach efforts, email Lorenzo at llorenzo@mail.bradley.edu.
