The Main Campus Center and Center for Math and Science building were bustling with science activities on October 24, 2015 as SHPE ( Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers of the Greater San Fernando Valley ) along with the LAMC STEM program collaborated once again to organize their annual Noche De Ciencias event (Family Science Night ). In addition, student chapters from California State University Northridge and College of the Canyons volunteered their time and efforts to make NDC 2015 a huge success! With an estimated 300 participants, it was the biggest turnout yet!
Noche De Ciencias was created to promote the sciences amongst K-12 students. Science demonstrations and experiments took place on both the Main Campus Center and Center for Math and Science Building. This year, NDC featured activities such as straw towers, straw rockets, and gum drop bridges. SHPE CSUN introduced new activities which included the Hand Grabber and Egg Drop. SHPE COC intrigued students with the Makey and Makey and Mousetrap experiments. High School students were escorted to the Center for Math and Science building where they had the opportunity to engage in life science and physics workshops hosted by Professor Brown and Professor Rains. Wesley F. Uehara from UCLA gave a talk on internship and research opportunities available to students who were thinking of attending UCLA. It was a huge success! It inspired our students to think about the many opportunities available to them in the field of Engineering and STEM in general. Free pizza and coffee were generously provided and those who registered early received a Noche De Ciencias T-shirt. Fabulous prizes were raffled off to the community and medals were given to students who participated in the various science competitions.
Parents had the opportunity to learn more about payment options for college and why obtaining a college education can change the lives of their children for the better. The purpose of these workshops was to prepare parents in our community on ways they can best support their children as they navigate their way through the college experience. The workshops were given in both English and Spanish. Based on parental feedback, it greatly increased their knowledge of the college system and gave them the confidence to help their children succeed.
Noche De Ciencias was exciting and inspiring for all who attended. We look forward to organizing NDC next year!