Grambling State News

They came, they saw, and they conquered.

It all happened on the Grambling State University (GSU) campus recently as 90 high school students from across the region attended and competed in the 24th Annual Clayton A. Wiley Engineering Week High School Day.

The Department of Engineering recently held an event with students from regional high schools attending to learn more about GSU and its engineering program.

The theme of this year’s Engineering Day was “Design Your Future!” The attending students from Math, Science, and Technology (STEM) classes at Arcadia, Gibsland-Coleman, Lincoln Preparatory, and Simsboro high schools participated in onsite competitions including Bridge Design and Building Project Computer Activities, Drone Flight Activities, and Mechanical Puzzles.

Coinciding with the nationally recognized engineering week — the third week of every February — GSU’s event was named in honor of the late Clayton A. Wiley to serve as a tribute to the 40 years of devoted service that he gave to the Engineering Technology department at Grambling State as well as the endowment the Wiley family made to the Engineering Technology program.

“The annual Clayton A. Wiley Engineer’s Week High School Day has always been a very important and productive event for the students visiting from the area high schools,” said GSU Department of Engineering Technology Interim Director Dr. Edwin Thomas. “It is a very valuable recruiting and outreach program for the department and other academic STEM areas on campus. Several students who have participated in the competition activities in the past later became students at the university.

“We would like to acknowledge our department student mentors, they play a huge role in ensuring that our High School Day was successful. Acknowledgment also goes out to the Engineering faculty and staff for facilitating the event as a whole and the different competitions.”

While the event is organized and hosted by GSU’s Department of Engineering, the day began with an opening program where Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. Connie Walton, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Stacey Duhon, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Associate Dr. Roshunda L. Belton-Cardoza, Leveraging Innovation and Discovery for STEM Success Interim Director Stacy Cassius, Enrollment Marketing and Communications Specialist Lauren Washington, Financial Literacy and Scholarship Counselor Anthony Drayton and Army ROTC  Recruiting Operations Officer Antonio Tims talked about the numerous options and learning experience GSU can offer incoming students.

“You’re going to get a chance today to engage in competitions, show off some of your STEM skills that are in engineering technology, mathematics, and others,” Walton said. “We hope that by the end of your time here today that you will see some of the things Grambling State University has to offer you.

“And we hope that you’ll consider other opportunities that we have at Grambling State University, whether it’s our High Ability Program we offer every summer for rising (high school) seniors, or our Cybersecurity program that we offer to high school students in the summer where they get paid for coming here for one week. We want you to look at all the opportunities that Grambling State University has to offer. Hopefully, I’ll look up one day and realize that I remember a student from participating in the Clayton Wiley Engineering Week celebration.”

It’s that “on campus” experience that Department of Engineering Technology faculty member John Frazier, who oversaw the Drone Flying competition, said is critically important for both the high school students and Grambling State University as a whole.

“When you can get a young student on campus and have them see things like the kinds of different drones that we build and get a chance to actually fly the drones we use in the flying competition — those things are the kinds of things that can really make an impact on them,” Frazier said.

“They also get to experience the campus — what the classrooms are like and all of that. And it’s those kinds of things that can leave a lasting impression on them. It’s a chance for them to have fun and an opportunity for those of us here at GSU to tell them about their futures and how GSU can play an important role in those futures.”