MESA
MESA
Diversity in STEM leaders starts
with inspiring innovation and creativity
in students—all students—today.
Diversity in STEM leaders starts
with inspiring innovation and creativity
in students—all students—today.
To solve tomorrow’s challenges, the world needs a lot of people from different backgrounds, especially in STEM fields. To get there, we need diversity in our STEM leaders, and that starts with inspiring innovation and creativity in students today— all students.
The Yakima Valley/Tri-Cities (YVTC) MESA (Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement) program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) provides enriching, hands-on opportunities in mathematics, engineering, and science for students and educators to inspire, prepare, and increase exposure and interest in STEM and STEM careers. Our goals are to increase the number of students historically underrepresented in STEM and to increase the number of young females pursuing post-secondary education and entering the workforce in STEM fields. Working together—educators, school districts, parents, and our community—we will create a program center that best meets the needs of our students and transforms STEM education in our local area. We want to enable all students opportunity and success for a STEM-focused future.
Yakima Valley/Tri-Cities (YVTC) MESA Center @ PNNL Background
The Washington State MESA program was developed in 1982 with a mission to increase the diversity and retention of students pursuing STEM courses and career pathways. In 2018, PNNL took a leadership role in the YVTC MESA program. PNNL leads one of six Washington MESA centers in the Yakima Valley and Mid-Columbia region, serving school districts from College Place to Granger. Over 400 student are served annually, as YVTC MESA students participate in hands-on engineering design challenges, STEM activities in their classrooms, and regional and statewide competitions. For the first time in 2018, YVTC MESA team won the statewide competition and advanced to the national competition. The team has since won the state competition multiple times and represented the regional at the national competition.
YVTC MESA students also receive resources and guidance to successfully pursue a college degree and career in a STEM field. Many YVTC MESA students are prospective first-generation college students, and the program encourages their dreams to attend college.
“I never considered STEM until participating in the YVTC MESA program. I was inspired to become an engineer and I hope to mix the beauty of art with the elements of engineering in the future.” — Kimberly, Chiawana High School MESA Student