Amplifying Opportunity in Baskin engineering
Baskin Engineering is committed to graduating a cohort that is as diverse as the students it admits. While UC Santa Cruz is recognized for its strength in social mobility, students graduating with engineering degrees experience the fastest trajectory in social mobility, often entering rewarding professional careers directly out of school. Yet many of our students are the first in their families to attend college, often arriving from under-resourced high schools. Admission to the school of engineering is competitive; students take a rigorous course load that can challenge those who may be underprepared. To support their success, Baskin Engineering ensures these students receive inclusive mentoring and academic support. All Baskin students are encouraged to participate in rich co-curricular activities including academic competitions, research and industrial internships, and engineering professional societies and clubs.
“By removing boundaries to world-class engineering education and research, we ensure that there are no limits to who can contribute to a world elevated by bold and socially responsible innovation.”
—Alexander L. Wolf, Dean of Baskin Engineering
supporting student success in baskin engineering
First-Generation Engineering Scholarships provide financial awards for first-generation undergraduate engineering majors. By displacing the need to be employed — typically in jobs unrelated to engineering — scholarship recipients can engage more fully with their coursework and co-curricular activities. And with a shorter time to degree, they will embark more quickly on a trajectory of upward social mobility for themselves and their families.
The MESA Engineering Program (MEP) provides sustained academic support, through cohort-based tutoring and mentoring, for aspiring engineers who are first in their families to attend college, are first to enroll in engineering studies, and are from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups. MEP empowers a diverse generation of career-ready future engineers by providing the tools and resources they need to successfully earn engineering degrees.
The Baskin Engineering Excellence Scholars (BEES) immerses underrepresented students in an environment of intensive academic support throughout their first year at UCSC. They receive specialized summer instruction in math and coding, and are then paired with dedicated mentors from the faculty and industry who help them chart a path to success and a sense of belonging in engineering. BEES scholars have the opportunity to attend the Grace Hopper Conference, named for Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, a pioneer in computer science.
Faculty of color are significantly underrepresented in engineering. Similarly, the tech industry seeks to diversify its ranks. We are broadening the pipeline by increasing the number of students of color in our Ph.D. and M.S. programs. Our Graduate Bridge Program partners with historically black colleges and universities to attract their promising undergraduates into Baskin Engineering PhD programs. Baskin Engineering undergraduates from historically excluded backgrounds are also encouraged to enter graduate programs at UCSC and institutions across the country.
The Baskin Engineering Mentor Network pairs students with alumni and other working professionals in a sustained partnership from their first year through graduation and into their early career development. Mentors listen, inspire, and help to navigate challenges as they guide students toward gratifying career opportunities.
The Baskin Engineering Experiential Learning Facility will be a sophisticated makerspace that fosters hands-on experiential learning, design education, and collaboration on first-year, capstone and other student engineering projects. The space will be a center for entrepreneurial creativity and co-curricular experiences, led by our more than 20 active student organizations, clubs, and competitive teams.
Student professional and competitive organizations at Baskin Engineering, such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the competitive Formula Slug electric car team, and the iGEM synthetic biology competition, provide opportunities for hands-on design and building, targeted professional development resources, access to broader communities of engineering students and engineers, and a sense of community within the school.
The Antiracism Engineering Scholars Program provides summer funding for graduate and undergraduate students to pursue research on topics related to racism and bias in technology and/or the use of technological innovation to fight racism and discrimination. Students work under the supervision of a faculty mentor and present their findings to their peers and members of the faculty.
To learn more about how you can help transform student success in Baskin Engineering:
Roger Trippel, Senior Director of Development for Baskin Engineering
831.459.5646