December 10, 2005

Math and Alma Garcia have been a good fit ever since she mastered calculating square roots in the fourth grade. By age 12, she had set her sights on becoming an architect.

Today, the 23-year-old architectural engineering student at Allan Hancock College is the recipient of a top award from a national science conference after she and 29 other winners beat out more than 500 college students, from the community college to university graduate level.

Garcia won the award this fall for her project, “Understanding the Lateral Tunneling Accelerometer and the Micromachining Process,” a research poster presentation in engineering she delivered at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Conference in Austin, Texas.

Garcia’s project was the culmination of an internship she completed this summer at the University of California at Santa Barbara through the Internships in Science, Engineering and Technology (INSET) program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation. She worked under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Dr. Kimberly Turner and graduate student Laura Oropeza-Ramos, both with UCSB’s Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering.

The INSET program brings science and engineering community college students to UCSB for a summer research experience where they are provided laboratory training and professional development at the California NanoSystems Institute.

For Garcia, the choice to major in architectural engineering was a natural. “I love designing things,” she said simply. A native of Mexico, Garcia moved to California in 1998 knowing little English. She was placed in 10th grade at Santa Maria High School where she graduated in 2001.

At first, Garcia chose to major in architecture, but switched majors once she learned that architectural engineering required the mathematics courses she craved, including a full series of calculus and physics. “Oh, this is the major I want,” she said, expressing her delight at finding just the right fit.

Through a lot of hard work and help from Allan Hancock College’s Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Community College Program (MESA CCP), Garcia has achieved tremendous success in a demanding discipline. She plans to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, next fall, where she will pursue a bachelor¹s degree in architectural engineering. Then it’s on to graduate school.

For now, Garcia is on the Hancock campus from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, where she can be found in the classroom, library or at the MESA Center. She is also a tutor at the MESA Center where she helps other students master math, physics and sometimes chemistry.

Garcia was one of seven students who attended the SACNAS conference along with Hancock faculty. The annual conference brings together students, faculty researchers and exhibitors from around the world for workshops and presentations on cutting-edge research and trends in sciences.

Other Hancock students who attended the SACNAS conference were mechanical engineering majors Oscar Vargas, Ricardo Garcia, Ranulfo Morales and Erik Sanchez; civil engineering major Alex Ubaldo; and mathematics major Barbara Kelly.

Garcia said she doesn’t think she could have pursued a career in architectural engineering without Hancock’s MESA Program. “MESA helps me with all the tools needed, such as books, calculator, tutors, computers and the great inspiration from Julie,” Garcia said, referring to the program’s interim director, Julie Niles, who encouraged Garcia to apply for the INSET program. “Julie helps every member in an incredible way to achieve success.”

As the director, Niles oversees an array of programs and activities. According to Niles, “Our goal is to provide academic support and professional development for financially and educationally disadvantaged students who are seeking to transfer to four-year universities in math-based majors.”

Niles emphasized that at Hancock, it’s not enough simply to prepare students for transfer to four-year universities. Since the community college is situated between two highly selective universities for math, science and engineering majors, Cal Poly and UCSB, “one of our goals in MESA is to prepare students for the rigors of a highly competitive university environment,” she said.

To achieve this goal, the MESA program offers students a variety of professional development opportunities, including industry field trips, guest speakers, leadership and science conferences, as well as mentoring. All of these educational options expose students to the climate and culture of the industries they will be entering, Niles added.

The daughter of field workers and a first-generation college student, Garcia said she also receives a lot of help and encouragement from her family. Her older brother even helps her financially while her younger brother lets her drive his car to school. “My parents are very supportive,” she said. “They always tell me to keep going and to do my best.”

- AHC -