Engineering -- after high school -- careers

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Bakersfield College engineering student David Herrera demonstrated a computerized, unmanned robotic crane prototype he invented for use in the oilfields.

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Arvin High's Jennifer Zavala and Tino Contreras gathered some information and had questions answered by Chevron's Jim Copeland, Michael Harr and Sam Ekweghariry.

What motivates 16 engineering businesses, colleges and trade schools to spend most of the day at a Bakersfield museum with hundreds of high school students? The reason for them being there comes down to one word, "need." That was the word most spoken by industry representatives who gathered for Engineering Career Day 2008 on Feb. 21 at the Kern County Museum.

Surprisingly, one of the most outspoken about the need for trained engineers in all fields was David Herrera, who is himself an engineering student at Bakersfield College (BC). Herrera was helping out at the BC Engineer's Club table. A large crowd of high school students gathered around as Herrera demonstrated miniature computerized robotic vehicles he designed to perform practical applications in the oilfields.

"I wrote a laptop program of actions which guides this unmanned mini-crane through the use of sensors to a specific location to find and pick up a designated target object," Herrera told his audience. "Besides going to BC and working with the engineering club, I also have an internship and hold down three part-time jobs -- one of which is with the Kern County Superintendent Schools' (KCSOS) Migrant Education Program. We are taking robotics around to show sixth-through-eighth grade students and creating a curriculum requiring each to build specific projects. We want to popularize math and science. The evidence is that students are losing interest in math and science, and the result is U.S. companies have to look to foreign countries to supply engineers."

What Herrera said gets to the heart of why Engineering Career Day has become an annual event. A yearly collaboration between KCSOS and the Society of Petroleum Engineers makes it possible. The museum is an ideal location since it features an interactive exhibition devoted to the county's oil history called "Black Gold: The Oil Exhibit." This year, approximately 350 high school math and science students from Arvin, Bakersfield, Bakersfield Christian, Centennial, East, Foothill, Golden Valley, Ridgeview, South, Stockdale, Taft Union and Wasco Union high schools and KCSOS alternative education classes attended.

They were able to see displays of engineering principles in action, gather information about various engineering fields and ask questions of industry representatives. One tented venue offered students a chance to learn about different facets of the industry from a series of speakers. Halliburton provided a Tri-tip luncheon for all attendees. U.S. Bureau of Land Management Petroleum Engineer John Kaiser, who coordinated the vendor participation, made no secret of why the industry supports the event each year.

"We really have a first-hand need for engineers," Kaiser said. "Within the next 10 years, we will lose half of our engineers to retirement. There is an incredible demand in the petroleum and all other fields of engineering, right now.

Participating vendors in Engineering Career Day 2008 included; Area Energy, BC, Big West of California, Chevron, TJ Cross Engineers, DOGGR/BLM, Halliburton, Montana Tech, Occidental of Elk Hills, P G & E, Sharpe Solar, Society of Hispanic Engineers, SPE/API, Stantec Consulting, Western States Petroleum Association and WZI.


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