Students Complete Engineering Program

Seven students from the Oxnard Union High School District are set to graduate Monday from a pre-engineering program.

The students have spent 12 weeks at the Naval Surface Warfare Center getting hands-on engineering experience. They worked with civilian and military engineers to solve real problems at the Port Hueneme center, and also watched the engineers at work.

The program is designed to give students practical math and science experience, and to introduce them to engineering. Students are selected from the district’s five high schools, with the selections based on background, interest and achievement. The students receive academic credits for their work.

“Not only does it allow the students to see the practical application of math and science, but it also gives them a feel for what a professional engineering environment is like,” said Stephen Routh, a military engineer who delivers lectures and holds labs for the students.

The students are Gerard Lacbain, Cyndi Romero and Hoc Bui from Channel Islands High School, Greg Wilson from Hueneme High and Heather Crawford, Carlos Cortez and Natalie Jay from Oxnard High.

The graduation ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. in the warfare center’s Educational Training Center, Building 445. Students will receive certificates from the center’s chief engineer.

A new round of students will go through the program in the spring. For more information, call 228-6150.