UCLA's Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity Stages MESA Day Academy

Over 400 students from Los Angeles area high schools arrived at UCLA Saturday to compete in math, science, engineering and technology competitions. Some arrived with balsawood gliders tucked under their arms; others were holding jars containing tiny crystals painstakingly grown in home-made labs. Between competitions, students dipped balloons in liquid nitrogen, explored a real-time three-dimensional computer model of Los Angeles and talked to Boeing engineers about the future of flight.

All of this activity was part of the annual MESA Day Academies, regional competitions held at university campuses each spring. Students tested their knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering principles in academic competitions that included building a model of the human eye, constructing a small vehicle powered by a simple mousetrap, flying balsawood gliders and designing the strongest wooden bridge. There were also written tests and oral presentations.

Competitions were held at several locations across UCLA's south campus, while music and exhibits were staged at an open space known as the Court of Sciences. There, volunteers from a number of academic departments presented hands-on demonstrations illustrating common scientific and engineering processes. Representatives from several high tech companies also manned stations with models and exhibits on topics such as space exploration (Jet Propulsion Laboratories) and how to use a potato and a lemon to power a light bulb (Xerox).

California's 2004-05 proposed state budget calls for the elimination of all state funding ($33.3 million) for University of California programs like the MESA Day Academies, which work with K-12 schools and students to improve academic performance and college preparation.

The Honorable Jose Huizar, president of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and Bud Jacobs, acting assistant superintendent of instructional support, presided over an awards ceremony that recognized the competition winners. Earlier, parents of MESA students and their teachers held an open forum to discuss the future of MESA programs in light of the proposed state budget cuts.

UCLA's Center for Excellence in Engineering and Diversity (CEED), which operates in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, organized the MESA Day event. CEED currently administers several programs that help urban, educationally disadvantaged and underrepresented students achieve success in math, science and engineering. They include career days, summer workshops, mentoring programs and teacher training sessions.

The Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program is a statewide outreach program administered by the University of California, which received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2000. MESA provides academic support services to more than 24,400 students in California. Approximately 85 percent of MESA high school seniors go on to attend college, compared with the statewide average of 55 percent.

- Chris Sutton
5/3/2004