Meet the CSU units and departments helping develop the future workforce by serving as partners with Poudre School District’s (PSD) Work-Based Learning program and beyond!

College of Agricultural Sciences

Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture

Who They Are: Our department intersects design, creativity, health, and the natural world. We take pride in challenging our students to understand the complexities of human and community health and how to create thriving natural landscapes. Our programs ensure we get outside, get our hands dirty, and learn by doing.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Job Shadow: Students visit a class at CSU and learn about the programs they have for Landscape Design and Contracting. Meet with the Program Coordinator in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
2. Green Industry Field Day & Lunch: Students explore different career pathways within the Green Industry, including landscape design-build companies, golf course superintendents, nursery growers, arborists, public garden managers, etc.
3. Guest Speaker: Faculty engage with students in their classrooms.

College of Health & Human Sciences

Department of Construction Management

Who They Are: Our highly-recognized programs feature industry collaborations, service-learning, and national competitions providing hands-on learning opportunities for students. The undergraduate program is the only program in Colorado accredited by the American Council for Construction Education and has been accredited since 1985.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Summer Camp: Examples include the Women in Construction Management Summer Camp, a five-day, four-night on-campus program for 25 high school students interested in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction.

College of Natural Sciences

Department of Mathematics

Who They Are: Our researchers innovate, from the very definition of abstraction to applications in health sciences, engineering, and national and global defense, to the most practical questions of how our young students learn. Our dedication to discovery drives our passion for sharing knowledge with our students.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Summer Camps: GirlsGetMath@CSU – Students engage with inquiry-based activities and daily computer labs to explore various mathematics topics such as cryptography, image processing, geometry, fractals, and graph theory.
2. Internships: Students get hands-on experience with Math faculty members.

Department of Computer Science

Who They Are: From the environment and healthcare to artificial intelligence and space exploration, computer science is everywhere, improving people’s lives in extraordinary ways. Our award-winning research and teaching prepare students to apply the latest technical skills to solve practical, real-world problems. There are always new challenges on our horizon.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Summer Camps: CSU Summer Cyber Security Camp, a Free week-long cyber security camp for students to learn about modern technologies and topics such as Network Security, Data Encryption and Protection, and Careers in Cybersecurity from CSU professors, students, and industry experts.

Little Shop of Physics

Who They Are: The Little Shop of Physics has always been a hands-on program, something that sets it apart from other science engagement programs. Students are the scientists in the Little Shop of Physics. But we don’t just teach science; we teach that science is something anyone can do, that it is a field that is interesting and accessible to anyone. We believe—and demonstrate—that anyone of any age can understand science at some level. Our expertise in developing such lessons allows us to provide teachers with any grade-level tools that they can use to incorporate science into their curriculum inexpensively and effectively.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Internships: Learn physics through hands-on exploration. Opportunity to develop skills in the engineering process. Build hands-on science experiments, which could see over 30,000 people a year! Inspire the next wave of scientists by working with K-12 students. 

Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

K-12 Outreach Staff

Who They Are: An important part of the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering’s mission is cultivating and engaging our communities. Our outreach staff works with students of all ages to provide support for STEM activities, learning, and partnerships across Colorado.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. School Tours & Visits: We are excited to open up visits for K-12 school groups! Join us for lab tours, meet current engineering students, and enjoy STEM activities with your classes. Complete the School Visit Request Form.
2. Summer Camps: The College provides support for summer programs throughout Colorado. These programs feature STEM-related experiences for middle and high school participants, often including current faculty and students from the College. Examples include Campos EPC ENvision.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Who They Are: Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University is about using our knowledge of health, energy, and materials and manufacturing to solve society’s global engineering challenges.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Summer Camps: CSU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering hosts several interactive summer programs for middle school and high school students interested in exploring the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Examples include Engineering Your World, Designing Your World, Engineering Your World at CSU SPUR.
2. Internships: Students get hands-on experience with Mechanical Engineering faculty members.

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Who They Are: You may think electrical and computer engineering is magic – and it kind of is. We are the masters of power and energy and light and systems. We are the force that connects people and technologies with elegant devices that fit in the palm of your hand and colossal systems that are beyond imagination.  Is that magic? Almost. We can’t wait to show you how it works.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Career/Campus Tours: Examples include the free Engineering Exploration Day, where high school and transfer students interested in engineering can meet with student design teams, check out laboratory demonstrations, and learn about engineering careers; the Society of Women Engineers Experience day; Summer Computer Science STEM program, a week-long summer camp for female students.
2. Internships: Students get hands-on experience with Electrical & Computer Engineering faculty members.

Powerhouse Energy Campus

Who They Are: The CSU Energy Institute is a hub of research, education and outreach focused on developing innovative solutions for the world’s climate and energy challenges.

Opportunities They Have Provided to Students:

1. Facility Tours: Learn about scheduling an in-person tour of the Powerhouse Energy Campus, or view their virtual video tour series. 
2. Challenges & Competitions: Examples include hosting students from across the state for the regional KidWind Challenge.
3. Summer Programs: Every Summer in July, the Energy Institute and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County collaborate for an Energy Week. The event typically is 1-2 days filled with activities and lab demonstrations around the Powerhouse Energy Campus.
4. Internships: Faculty has provided internship opportunities for students at the Powerhouse Energy Campus, and examples have included assisting in building data acquisition systems, performing laboratory organization and operation, and installing laboratory infrastructure.

Want to do more?

If you have a passion for education and engagement, the STEM Center at Colorado State University has also created a STEM Community Directory – a listing of CSU faculty & staff just as passionate about education and engagement as yourself. Please consider joining the STEM Community Directory and use it to connect with others both on- and off-campus.