2. 2
F
ounded in 2007 by the Society of
Civil and Structural Engineers at UC
San Diego, the Earthquake Engi-
neering with K’NEX Outreach Program
(more often referred to as Seismic Outreach)
has served to educate 6th
grade students in
the greater San Diego County on the
fundamentals of earthquakes and
earthquake safe structural design principles.
Last year UCLA expanded San Diego's
program to reach students in the Los
Angeles region. We hope that you will take
some time to learn about the program and
consider partnering. with us!
THE OBJECTIVE
It has been well documented that the U.S. is
suffering a shortage of students pursuing
technical careers relative to the need that
exists in the workforce. Our objective is to
expose 6th
grade students (especially those
from economical-
ly disadvantaged
backgrounds) to
the basics of the
engineering pro-
fession and get
them excited
about technical
career paths.
THE PROJECT
This program
seeks to educate
and motivate students to study science,
technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) subjects by integrating with the Cali-
fornia 6th
grade curriculum’s focus on earth-
quakes. The Seismic Outreach program is
comprised of three phases:
1) Engineering student-volunteers visit 6th
grade classrooms and give an interac-
tive presentation detailing earthquake
phenomena, basic structural engineer-
ing principles, and how structures with-
stand earthquake damage by design.
2) Students are broken into teams of four
for a design competition. Over several
weeks in their schools, they build and
document a 1/40th
-scale skyscraper
made from a pre-sorted K’NEX kit.
3) Students come on a field-trip to the
UCLA main campus for K’NEX structure
aesthetic judging and simulated earth-
quake testing. At the culmination of the
field-trip, awards are given to the
teams for aesthetics, building cost, and
performance on the shake table.
3. 3
THE PEOPLE
Seismic Outreach is made possible by the
generous support of corporate sponsors
and professional societies. We want not
only sponsorship, but to build a relationship
with our sponsors so that Seismic Outreach
becomes an integrated part of their
company as it is here at UCLA.
Furthermore, practicing engineers from
local industry joined on the field trip days
in order to share their passion with
the kids.
THE LOCATION
Last year, UCLA is partnered with Paul
Revere Middle School. 70 students came
to UCLA to participate in our program.
This year we hope to expand our program
to support over 400 students, and in future
years support more than 1,000 students.
In particular, we are making an effort to
include underprivileged schools,
encouraging kids who may not normally
have access to engineering.
THE LOGISTICS
One of the best features of the program as
it has evolved has been the increasing effi-
ciency. There are some key pieces of equip-
ment that are essential for this program –
namely, a mini shake table and K’NEX kits
for the participating students. However, it is
important to remember that while the initial
investment to set up a program like this is
significant, such challenges are achievable
when the whole community becomes in-
volved. Once established, the program re-
quires only very modest resources (both
funds and manpower) in order to sustain an
extremely impactful outreach event that can
inspire kids for decades to come.
THE NEED
In order to allow more students the chance
to participate in this exciting and impactful
program, we need help to involvement from
industry and professional organizations.
Funds are needed in order to purchase
necessary supplies for the program,
especially all of the K’NEX materials. Industry
volunteers are also integral to helping our
program run smoothly. Last year, our industry
volunteers had a blast engaging with
students and hearing the thought process
behind their structures. If you are interested
in more information on the program or
would like to know how you can get involved,
please contact us with the information
below. Thank you for your consideration!
Contact us for more info!
Ryan Worley
rcworley1111@yahoo.com
(925) 765-8231
