Local High School Students Gain Practical Experience and Inspiration at AME Outreach Event

On Sunday, April 28th, the USC Viterbi Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering hosted an event titled Girls in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (GAME). Launched a year ago with just one high school student, the outreach event aimed to expose students to resources available at the university-level and encourage their continued pursuit of careers in engineering.

Led by senior aerospace major Ana Gabrielian, who is also Vice President of Membership for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the event differentiated itself from broad strokes engineering overviews. Instead, it provided a practical learning experience for participants. The high school students, who were gathered at USC’s Biegler Hall, were tasked with creating an air foil. Known for a unique shape specific to the cross-section of a wing or blade, an air foil-shaped body can produce an aerodynamic force–lift.

With the help of volunteers, including mechanical engineering majors Kiera Salvo, Celeste Goodwin, and Aarya Suryavanshi, students used Computer Aided Design (CAD) to design and manufacture personalized air foils. Lab volunteers also included associate professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering practice Charles Radovich, senior lab technician Jeffrey Vargas, and lab assistant Hugo Villafana.

The event kicked off with an inspirational talk given by Inna Abramova, lecturer in aerospace and mechanical engineering, about her career and professional experiences. It culminated with tours of hands-on student programs at USC, including Dryden Wind Tunnel, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), Rocket Propulsion Lab(RPL), SC Racing, and the AeroDesign Team lab spaces.

 

Published on May 7th, 2019Last updated on May 3rd, 2021