Team Aztec Regolith Environment Sculptor Collaborates with Local Highschools With Hands-On ActivitiesPage Title

Team Aztec Regolith Environment Sculptor (ARES) is a joint team composed of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Engineering undergraduate students participating in the NASA Lunabotics 2024 challenge as part of SDSU’s Engineering Senior Design course.The team organized a series of educational engagement events aimed at fostering interest in STEM fields among students from diverse backgrounds. Collaborating with local high schools, Montgomery High School and Carlsbad High School, the team conducted four outreach sessions featuring presentations and hands-on activities. These events, focused on the importance of diversity in STEM, aimed to empower students with knowledge and resources to pursue educational opportunities. The hands-on activity involved creating a moon rover drivetrain, in which students engaged in robotics and coding activities to enhance their understanding and skills while applying their learning in a practical setting. Prior to the activity, 45% of students reported that they had only some experience with coding and have never completed a coding project. Afterwards, 76% said that they feel more confident to start a coding or robotics project on their own now. Overall, Team ARES' STEM engagement events left a lasting impression, igniting passion and curiosity among the next generation of innovators.