June 14, 2005 Laurel, Maryland

Capitol College, with the support of the PerkinElmer Foundation and High Point High School, is introducing area Hispanic high school students to engineering careers as part of its five-day summer program in late June.

Selected students to the program, Raising Hispanic Awareness in Engineering, will work with professional engineers to build their own rockets while learning about the mathematics, physics and engineering foundations necessary for a successful launch. 

The program, running from June 21-25, is open to up to 10 students from High Point High School in Beltsville. PerkinElmer donated $10,000 in 2004 to establish the program, which is in its second year. The goal is to attract the next generation of the nation's fastest growing population to study math and science and – eventually – consider an engineering career.

There is an industry-wide push to introduce all young students to engineering as the current workforce nears retirement and the number of entry-level engineers dwindles. And while the Hispanic population is the largest growing minority group in the United States, Hispanic Americans represent less than 3 percent of its engineering and scientific community, according to the Center for the Advancement of Hispanics in Science and Engineering Education.

“One of the obstacles facing the engineering industry is getting young students past a fear of math and science. The classroom work these students will do all ties into their final project, which is building and blasting a rocket, a fun and hands-on activity,” said Tony Miller, director of career services at Capitol College. “There will be a lot of talk about space and flight, but rocketry exposes the teens to all the aspects of engineering.”

For the first four days, students will dedicate the morning to classroom work, learning the physics and math behind concepts such as altitude, stability and control. During lunch, they'll meet with guest speakers, such as professional engineers from area companies or government agencies. In the afternoon, they will each work on designing and building their own rocket with the guidance of PerkinElmer engineers and local rocketry club members.

On Friday, June 24, the students are scheduled to travel throughout the region visiting the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and PerkinElmer Fluid Sciences. The event ends on Saturday, June 25, with a rocket launch and picnic on the Capitol College campus that is open to students' family and friends.