Samueli School Plays Integral Role in Workforce Development Initiative
Dassault Systèmes U.S. Foundation funds Base 11 pilot program at UCI
May 19, 2017 – The Dassault Systèmes U.S. Foundation and Base 11 today announced a workforce development initiative focused on training the next generation of engineers with the skills most in-demand by aerospace, high tech and transportation industries.
The initiative will be piloted this summer at UC Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering with community college students participating in the Base 11 summer fellowship program.
With a grant from The Foundation, the initiative will provide students with training in collaborative 3-D engineering design platforms used by many large employers including Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Tesla, Honda, HP and IBM.
“We are thrilled by the grant from the Dassault Systèmes U.S. Foundation as it will accelerate our ability to empower our academic partners with the tools and resources they need to transform high-potential, low-resource students into 21st century STEM leaders,” said Landon Taylor, CEO of Base 11, a nonprofit STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) workforce development and entrepreneur accelerator.
“This workforce development initiative speaks to the huge demand for trained talent that we’re hearing from employers,” said Al Bunshaft, president of the Dassault Systèmes U.S. Foundation. “We are excited to support this innovative initiative that aims to create new educational content with the learning and discovery capabilities of 3-D technology and virtual universes. This will offer a solution for employers, while simultaneously changing the lives of underserved students and their communities.”
The Autonomous Systems Engineering Academy is based on a highly successful freshman engineering course at the Samueli School featuring hands-on, project-based learning. In 2015, Base 11 funded an adaptation of the course as an eight-week residency-based summer program geared toward high potential, low-resource community college students. The inaugural cohort of that program was recruited from across the country and completed the program at UCI in the summer of 2016. (See video here.)
The academy focuses on hands-on, interactive projects that encompass multiple engineering disciplines. Students learn the basics of aerospace design, computer aided design, 3-D printing, basic electronics and fabrication techniques through a series of mini projects. Each of those mini projects is a necessary component of the final capstone project, which is a fully operational unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone.
“The partnership with Base 11 and the financial support of The Dassault Systèmes U.S. Foundation is helping us expand our reach into community colleges and high schools, advancing our mission to prepare future engineers for matriculation at UCI and on to successful STEM-based careers,” said Gregory Washington, the Stacey Nicholas dean of engineering, Samueli School.
Beginning January 2018, Base 11 will expand the ASEA curriculum into a full academic-year college credit-bearing engineering course at three community college campuses in Orange County, San Francisco and Phoenix including Orange Coast College, Skyline College and South Mountain Community College, with the potential to reach other markets in 2019.
– Base 11, Dassault Systemes U.S. Foundation
