Women in Engineering and Check Presentation Friday, April 22

On Friday, April 22, Fresno City College will hold the 2022 Women in Engineering conference to encourage more women and girls to go into the engineering profession. The event will be held in the FCC Science Building from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The conference will begin with a $125,000 check presentation from Chevron who is providing the generous grant to the engineering department. The funds are being used to sponsor outreach to increase more STEM majors and to create a Maker Space to create enhanced lab opportunities.

On Friday, 45 ninth graders from Fresno Unified School District high schools will participate in the conference. This outreach addresses gender diversity in engineering careers and STEM programs and exposes high school girls to career opportunities in the industry. They will attend hands-on workshops in electrical, geomatic and mechanical engineering and network with female engineering professionals and FCC students.

Because hands-on experiential learning is a core component of engineering education and the engineering program at Fresno City College, funding from the grant will be used to create a Maker Space. The proposed Maker Space will allow for a larger variety of hands-on projects in multiple engineering disciplines, giving students more exposure to different engineering fields, and opportunities to explore their different major options and interests.

The Maker Space will be furnished with equipment and tools, for example, a CNC machine. This will provide engineering students the opportunity to design, build, program, and test a microcontroller. Each phase of the implementation will be emphasized according to the class the student is in so that regardless of competency and skill levels, the student will be exposed and learn the “how” to create and apply microcontrollers.

The FCC engineering program provides a wide range of engineering courses across different engineering fields, including, civil, computer, electrical, geomatics, mechanical and manufacturing. The department serves approximately 500 students per year, providing eight engineering degrees and certificates.

Anyone attending an indoor athletic, academic, or art event must show proof of being fully vaccinated or a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before entry into District facilities. Face coverings are not required but are encouraged.