For the last couple Saturdays, Delta College engineering students have ventured to Stockton Metropolitan Airport to apply their studies on life-sized, functioning airplanes.
The Airplane Project is run by an organization called Youth Eagles Aviation and the goal is to guide and teach Delta’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) the different mechanisms of a plane and what goes into building a plane.
It also teaches students the fundamentals of flight, aerospace engineering, how to read a blueprint, aircraft design, engine technology and an overall view of aviation and aerospace.
“Everything that they’ve taught us is really interesting because you don’t usually get this information on a daily basis,” said computer science major, Sarah Supat.
Michael Perez, co-founder of the Youth Eagles Aviation & Aerospace Education and Delta alum, wanted to offer Delta students hand-on-experience
“Hopefully, some of these students will choose the aerospace route. If not, the experience they get can be translated in any kind of engineering pathway,” said Perez.
Women make up only 24 percent of the Science Technology Engineering and Math
(STEM) job market.
“I like a lot of the engineering and volunteering opportunities, all of the club events they host, and I want to inspire kids and encourage women to join the field,” said Delta student Berkeley Anderson about SHPE and SWE.
Students also got the chance to go up to the air control tower and ask air traffic controllers what they do and what they enjoy about their job and witness them read out air traffic jargon.
“I liked going to the air control tower… this experience is helpful for prospective engineering majors,” said Vanessa Zambrano, a new member to SHPE.
The co-presidents of SHPE currently are Brandon Gonzalez and Joseph Kruse.
The Airplane Project has been a part of SHPE ever since the founder of SHPE, Juan Andrade, created the club at SJDC in 2011.
SHPE also offers many scholarship and internship opportunities, works with SWE and Habitat for Humanity.
Te group also has booths at events like Family Day at the Park in Stockton where science gadgets and student-built gizmos are showcased.
The Airplane Project is held every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for the rest of the semester and is open to every- one. e location is 300-7364 C E Dixon St, Stockton.
SHPE meetings are every two weeks from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday in Holt 242.