Colton, CA—Colton High’s budding engineers got a treat on Oct. 13 as the Mechatronics class received a visit from the real deal.

Maisha Gupta and Avan Irani are part of UCR’s Society of Women Engineers. Together with Mechatronics teacher Daniel Hearon, the students were treated to an interactive project involving snap circuits.

The Society of Women Engineers have given women a voice and a place in the industry world. Giving them support for over 70 years the Society has connections with over 400 Collegiate schools in the United States and over 100 global partners worldwide with which they work closely with. They have made it their mission to increase the amount of women in engineering and industrial careers.

“We’re here to share the organization, The Society of Women Engineers at UCR, to spread what our goals are and spread it to the younger community” said Maisha Gupta. The Society of Women Engineers brought with them snap circuits, which are a hands on project to encourage students exploring engineering via group work. “It’s great for developing fundamental engineering skills,” said Gupta added.

“I learned a lot about the flow of electricity through circuits,” said Mario Colunga. He really enjoyed the fact that they brought a hands-on project for himself and his fellow peers to work with.

Anabel Fregoso, a CTE instructional aide, stated that she really enjoyed watching how much fun the students had working with the snap circuits. “They seemed to really enjoy the project and I enjoyed watching them work on it.” Fregoso explained that she likes the work that the Society of Women Engineers is doing. She thinks that more women should feel the satisfaction of working in these fields.