There are plenty of opportunities to participate in engineering programs available at Columbia. You can participate in as a program assistant for the summer programs, join clubs on campus, and be a part of research and other programs. For more information about any of the programs, please contact us at 646-745-8422 or [email protected].
E.N.G.: Engineering the Next Generation
- Available Opportunities: Education Experience for Undergraduates, Leadership Opportunities in Workshops, & Lab Mentor Positions (postdocs/grad students if PI is hosting a student)
- What is E.N.G.?: Engineering the Next Generation (E.N.G.) is a summer research experience at Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, targeting highly motivated underrepresented high school students from select local partner schools.
- Available Opportunities: Opportunity to volunteer to give a talk to students about your research and/or career
- What is Engineering Speaks?: Engineering Speaks gives engineers from Columbia the opportunity to speak directly to students in local schools. Typically engineers tell a “life story” and explain their personal path, including passions, education, current work, etc.
- Available Opportunities: Opportunity to volunteer to lead school visits
- What is Inside Engineering?: Inside Engineering invites school groups into Columbia Engineering labs to show students what engineering looks like in practice. Seeing lab equipment, workspaces, and engineers working on high-level problems is an exceptional opportunity for students. Moreover, this program uniquely offers access to students who would not otherwise see academic research.
MRSEC: Materials Research Science and Engineering Center
- Available Opportunities: Research Experience for Undergraduates and Workstudy Lab Assistant/ Research Exposure Positions
- What is MRSEC?: Columbia hosts an NSF MRSEC, called the Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic and Superatomic Solids, which is a partnership with City College of New York, as well as academic, industry, and international collaborators. Faculty from materials science, chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering, form two interdisciplinary research groups and focus on two-dimensional atomic sheets and zero-dimensional molecular clusters.
- Available Opportunities: Education Experience for Undergraduates - You will have the opportunity to teach and work with high school students. Learn more and apply for summer 2021 here!
- What is SHAPE?: Columbia Engineering Summer High School Academic Program for Engineers (SHAPE) is a selective summer high school program for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. SHAPE is geared toward local students who have demonstrated an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Each 3-week session offers college-level courses in engineering, which are complemented by electives and workshops.
CUFIRST: Columbia's FIRST Robotics Team
The team comes from two local high schools: Columbia Secondary School and Morris High School. They meet about twice a week after school on campus and more frequently leading up to the competition each spring.
Undergraduates work with students to design and build a robot then to compete in local, regional, and national tournaments.
The Columbia University Chapter of Engineers Without Borders USA supports international community-driven development programs by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders. In this way, the program seeks to empower communities to meet their basic human needs and help solve the world’s most pressing challenges in places that would often be overlooked by large scale philanthropic efforts. Our projects in Ghana, Morocco, and Uganda have positively impacted over 10,000 individuals!
Girls Who Code has a Columbia club chapter that runs during the school year. This national organization is dedicated to closing the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors. The program meets on campus and recruits high school girls from local high-need partner schools.
As a Columbia student, you can volunteer to help the high school girls learn to code.
Columbia University Competitions in Math
Columbia University Competitions in Math, a student group supported by the Engineering Student Council, hosts on campus tournaments in upper-level mathematics for high schools students. The Columbia Math Tournament, offered during the fall semester, is for a wide range of high school students from the New York and New Jersey area. The Columbia Math Majors of America Tournament for High Schools (Columbia MMATHS) is offered during the spring semester and advanced math students from the area are welcome to participate.
Robogals teaches design and programming with Boe Bots and Lego robots. It is a chapter of the international non-profit organization and aims to get more girls between the ages of 9 and 16 interested in science, engineering, and technology. As a Columbia student, you will be able to volunteer to help teach students STEM topics.
Sci-Inspire works with Columbia Engineering to connect volunteers with local K-12 schools. This school-based program supports STEM education and collaborates with other student groups on campus to train volunteers for educational and outreach activities, as well as to screen (fingerprint) them in compliance with the NYC DoE.
SciRISE: Scientific Research by International Students at ELLIS
SciRISE is a student group where CU student participants mentor high school students from ELLIS Preparatory Academy who recently immigrated from countries all over Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia on independent scientific research projects! Mentors would attend a minimum of one mentoring session per month.
CU SIAM: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (CU SIAM)
CU SIAM is Columbia’s chapter of an international community of over 13000 members and 500 institutions for industrial and applied math. The national SIAM organization exists to promote interaction between mathematics and other scientific and technological communities. On campus they are involved in a range of student fun activities, including Latex tutorials, peer advising, and company visits. This year they are organizing a five-session Coding Bootcamp focused on introducing local high school students to Python and mathematical modeling.
CSI: Columbia Space Initiative
CSI’s mission is to promote interest in space news, the space industry, and the impact of space on a social level. Various teams that participate in a Micro-gravity NASA competition, outreach, high-altitude balloon engineering, and rocket engineering.
Columbia University Competitions in Math
Columbia University Competitions in Math, a student group supported by the Engineering Student Council, hosts on campus tournaments in upper-level mathematics for high schools students. The Columbia Math Tournament, offered during the fall semester, is for a wide range of high school students from the New York and New Jersey area. The Columbia Math Majors of America Tournament for High Schools (Columbia MMATHS) is offered during the spring semester and advanced math students from the area are welcome to participate.
NSBE: National Society of Black Engineers
NSBE is dedicated to the academic and professional success of African-American engineering students and professionals. NSBE offers its members leadership training, professional development activities, mentoring opportunities, career placement services and more.
CU SIAM: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (CU SIAM)
CU SIAM is Columbia’s chapter of an international community of over 13000 members and 500 institutions for industrial and applied math. The national SIAM organization exists to promote interaction between mathematics and other scientific and technological communities. On-campus they are involved in a range of student fun activities, including Latex tutorials, peer advising, and company visits. This year they are organizing a five-session Coding Bootcamp focused on introducing local high school students to Python and mathematical modeling.
SHPE: Society of Hispanic Pre-Professional Engineers
SHPE's vision is a world where Hispanics are highly valued and influential as the leading innovators, scientists, mathematicians and engineers. SHPE changes lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. Outreach activities include in-school presentations, junior chapters, and tutoring.
SWE: Society of Women Engineers
SWE’s mission is to stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity. For more than six decades, SWE has given women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering industry. The organization is centered around a passion for the members' success and continues to evolve with the challenges and opportunities reflected in today's exciting engineering and technology specialties.
SciRISE: Scientific Research by International Students at ELLIS
SciRISE is a student group where CU student participants mentor high school students from ELLIS Preparatory Academy who recently immigrated from countries all over Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia on independent scientific research projects! Mentors would attend a minimum of one mentoring session per month.