More than 100 middle and high school students from Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley learned the science and engineering behind building a float for the Rose Parade in a lab experience June 24 and 25.
Participants 12 to 17 years-old were led by the student teams from Cal Poly Pomona and San Luis Obispo campuses, and were taught the techniques used in float construction, from mechanical design and animation to structural engineering.
“Our Rose Float students, who some are just a couple years out of high school, can really connect with the young students to drive home the importance of both a college education, but how STEAM touches every aspect of our lives,” said Cary Khatab, director of the Cal Poly Rose Float. “I see the genuine excitement and gratification from my students as they make lasting positive impressions of the students of the future.”
Since 1949, Cal Poly universities have brought student-built floats to the New Year’s Day parade, pioneering milestones like the first hydraulically animated float in 1968 and the debut of computer-controlled animation in 1978.
The Pasadena Tournament of Roses partnered with Cal Poly Rose Float to present the educational program, called RoseSTEM. Nonprofit STEAM:CODERS, which provides students with opportunities to learn the fundamentals of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math, also supported the event.
“By combining innovation with imagination, RoseSTEM empowers students to think critically, build confidently, and envision futures shaped by their own potential,” Raymond Ealy, president and CEO of STEAM:CODERS, said. “The program reflects a shared commitment to education, equity, and opportunity—showing students that STEAM isn’t just a series of subjects, it is also a pathway for future opportunities.”
Related Posts:
- ‘I clean crime scenes for a living – the smell of death is like nothing else’ Entertainment Crime scene cleaner Lauren Baker has shed light on her fascinating job (Picture Channel 4) A professional crime scene cleaner who encounters people’s worst nightmares on a daily basis has revealed what job ‘lives in her mind’. As part of a new Channel 4 series, Crime Scene Cleaners shows a…
- Construction begins on 310-unit multifamily development in Denver’s River North Art District News Work began last month on a new 310-unit multifamily development in Denver’s River North Art District. The 16-story residential building, known as 3850 Blake, will be built on a vacant lot at the corner of Blake Street and 38th Street. The development is expected to be completed in the third…
- Judge says 3 witnesses sought by Kohberger must testify in trial over Idaho students’ stabbings News By MARK SCOLFORO STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge on Monday ordered that three people whose testimony has been requested by defense attorneys will have to travel to Idaho to appear at the trial of a man accused of stabbing to death four college students in 2022. The defense…
- Idaho murderer flashes wry smile before pleading guilty to stabbing four students News Bryan Kohberger, charged in the murders of four University of Idaho students, appeared at the Ada County Courthouse on Wednesday (Picture: AP) Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger appeared to give a wry smile in court before pleading guilty to stabbing four University of Idaho students and avoiding the death penalty. Kohberger…
- Trump administration finds Harvard failed to protect Jewish students, threatens to cut all funding News By COLLIN BINKLEY, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Harvard University failed to protect Jewish students from harassment, the Trump administration concluded after an investigation, threatening to cut all federal funding from the Ivy League school if it fails to take action. A federal task force sent a letter to Harvard on…
(Visited 2 times, 1 visits today)