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SPARKING STUDENT INTEREST IN NAVAL STEM CAREERS
Mark Tufenkjian, professor of civil engineering, speaks with 2016 mechanical engineering graduate and RoboSub student lead Reymond Tan about the functions of the resonant column/torsional shear device.
The United States Department of Defense (DOD), and the U.S. Navy in particular, have long been proactive in preparing a future STEM workforce, realizing they’ll need quali ed graduates to replace STEM professionals retiring over the next decade.
“As a longtime Navy-funded researcher, I saw that the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology at Cal State LA could feed into that pipeline,” says Mark Tufenkjian, professor of civil engineering. “We have many Navy system commands within a two-hour drive of our campus that employ thousands of STEM professionals. It’s a sensible collaboration.”
Last summer, Tufenkjian and the college received two,
multiyear STEM research grants – $580,000 from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and $500,000 from the DOD – to support this collaboration. The ONR
grant will help the college develop a Naval STEM program to expose students to Navy-related research activities during their academic careers. The goal is to inspire them to pursue employment with the Navy’s Southern California Systems Commands. The DOD grant will strengthen and expand naval seafloor engineering research at Cal State LA while providing new opportunities for even more students.
Offering Repeated Engagement Opportunities
The ONR grant funds a multipronged approach to STEM education and career preparation, with activities for freshmen through seniors in all of the engineering and computer science majors.
“A few years ago, I initiated the educational partnership between Cal State LA and the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Corona with a previous dean of engineering and computer science,” says Arman Hovakemian, chief technology officer at NSWC Corona. “As we continued our relationship, we had an opportunity to meet with various faculty and develop collaborative projects and programs. I met Mark a few years ago and we discussed the possibility of developing a program that would develop scientists and engineers who could support the Navy’s civilian engineering and scientific workforce requirements.”
Tufenkjian created the program’s framework, and Hovakemian provided NSWC Corona’s support and endorsement for funding.
“NSWC Corona and our larger Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers employ more than 18,000 scientists and engineers across the country,” says Hovakemian. “This workforce needs a pipeline of new
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