Last Friday, a group of about 30 LHS STEM students got the opportunity to tour the campus of the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) through a lens of technology and innovation. Led by LHS staff and CU alumni Brian Jernigan and Heather Bartlettmogg, the students got to see the inner workings of design in a university setting.
The tour was given by six CU students, all of which were mentors for prospective and new students in engineering. They gave advice and detailed their experiences to LHS students.
Students toured the Integrated Technology Learning Lab (ITLL), getting to see the details of the different facilities and equipment. The CU mentors also showed how the equipment was being used in current projects. During this time, the LHS students asked questions about their future education and career fields. The topics of discussion included how high school students can prepare for studying engineering in college, what college looks like for upcoming engineers, and AI and its impact on the workforce.
The tour finished off at the Idea Forge, a facility on the other side of campus. LHS students experienced the feeling of walking around a college campus during the school day, gaining an understanding of what it would be like to walk from one STEM building to another. The Idea Forge itself is CU’s upper level engineering-focused facility. Primarily juniors, seniors, and postgraduate students are the users of the Idea Forge, but LHS students got a personalized tour.
“It was so nice to be around LHS students who wanted to get out of their comfort zone, come see something new, try something new, be a part of the STEM program, and have this wonderful opportunity. It was a really nice group of people and we just really had a good time,” said Jernigan.
With the support of LHS faculty, the STEM program hopes that this is the first of many field trips in order to expose students to opportunities and ideas for their future educations and careers.
