Community Engagement and Outreach Grants

The Mechanical Engineering Community Engagement and Outreach Committee accepts annual action grants for funding proposal of projects that further the DEI mission statement of the department. Proposals are announced prior to the start of the academic year for funding opportunities up to $15,000. After the initial proposal submission deadline, please reach out directly to Katherine Ramos l about the availability of funds off-cycle. You can review the application criteria and proposal template here.

The Mechanical Engineering Community Engagement and Outreach Committee offers opportunities for students to apply for DEI travel grants. The goal of this travel grant is to support Mechanical Engineering students participating in regional and national conferences with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more details, see the funding request proposal form.

Mechanical Engineering DEI Action Grant Awardees AY23-24

Integrating US and Mongolian K-12 Outreach efforts through Project Based Learning in Rural Schools

In 2020, the Mongolia Chapter was developed to administer the AirQuality InQuiry (AQIQ) curriculum in rural spaces around the capital, Ulaanbaatar Mongolia. After teaching high school students the basics of air quality and the importance of environmental justice, the CU students mentor the high schoolers through the process of designing an experiment, collecting and analyzing data using the Pod, and sharing their results with a wider audience. Project led by Daniel Knight and collaborators Michael Hannigan and Evan Coffey.

Addressing NGSS needs with bioinspired robots

Creation of bio-inspired robotics toolkits and curriculum for K-12 Colorado students and teachers. Project led by Kaushik Jayaram and collaborators Alexandra Rose, Stacey Forsyth, Scott Seike (CUSD), Nathan Mcneill (CMU/ME), Bill Peneul (Ed).

CU Boulder Dia de Ciencias

CU Boulder Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has created a junior SHPE chapter at a local high school to mentor high school students and assist them in exploring the field of engineering. The project also plans to build a Dia de Ciencias outreach event for K-12 Hispanic youth to provide exposure to STEM degrees and careers on April 13, 2024. Project led by Arly Diaz de Leon and Isaac Chavarria Esquivel. 

Flyer for Dia de Ciencias with text details

Addressing the personal PM2.5 exposure and indoor air quality related knowledge gaps among under-served communities in Boulder County

The aim of this award is connecting students of the Indoor Air Pollution class, MCEN 4141/5141 with communities in Boulder County to discuss the sources and health effects of indoor air pollution. The students teach how to use different consumer-grade monitors to measure air pollution exposure and propose individual interventions for reducing exposure. Project led by Sumit Sankhyan with contributor Professor Shelly Miller. 

The Stories of Women in Fluids Initiative: An Anthology Book Series

This project initiative aims to create inspiration and mentorship to girls and women pursuing careers in fluid dynamics. The goal is to grow the number of women in fluids by speaking to and investing in girls as they start to develop an image of themselves in society and provide valuable advice and validation of personal experiences for individuals at all career levels.With over 40 contributing writers to this project, the span of perspectives and contributors aims to capture the evolution of women in fluid dynamics as a whole and provide resources to support allies. Project led by Nicole Xu, contributions from Jean Hertzberg (University of Colorado Boulder), Nicole Sharp (FYFD), Kelli Hendrickson (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Roni Goldshmid (California Institute of Technology), Swathi Krishna (University of Southampton), Beverley McKeon (StanfordUniversity), Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh (University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth), Rowana Miller (Cosmic Writers), and authors from various institutions.

AAPI All New Year

Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) hosted a celebration of various Asian countries' New Year holiday traditions, cultural food, and cultural activities. Project led by Helen Do. 

Flyer for AAPI All New Year Festival