Â鶹´«Ã½AV

With the shift to an open enrollment system in Washoe County, more students from minority, low-income, and first-generation backgrounds can attend any school. To better support their needs, we have redesigned the Mentoring for Achievement & Knowledge in Engineering (MAKErs) Club into the Advancing Curiosity in Engineering (ACE) program. While the name has changed, our core values remain the same.

ACE is built on the belief that every student has the potential to pursue their dreams of engineering and find a place in college. To help high school students explore the diverse fields of engineering available at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV, we offer lessons that introduce them to different majors and areas of study.

What we offer

ACE offers 1-hour engineering lessons to high school students that focus on specific majors available at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV. Engineering students and faculty have contributed valuable lessons across a wide range of fields. Each lesson introduces the College of Engineering, provides a basic overview of the featured major, a hands-on activity and a reflection period. Students also have the opportunity to engage with our College of Engineering student workers and ask questions.

Available lessons:

• Prosthetic Legs - Biomedical Engineering
• Glass Blowing - Materials Engineering
• Bridges - Civil/Structural Engineering
• Clean Water - Civil/Environmental
• Simple Circuits - Electrical Engineering
• Hydrogen-Powered Cars - Civil/Environmental
• Ruben's Tube - Mechanical Engineering (Note- lesson utilizes open flame)
• Trebuchets - Mechanical Engineering
• Fire Emissions - Environmental Engineering
• Drones - Aerospace Engineering (Coming Spring 2026!)

Coming in November!

• Industrial Engineering
• Computer Science Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

Who we serve

ACE is committed to supporting underrepresented students and we welcome participation from all high schools in and around Washoe County. Priority will be given to Title 1 funded and Title 1-eligible schools.

Please be aware that we are unable to accommodate substitute teachers for our lessons. It is essential that the teacher who registers for the lesson is present during the activity. This ensures a seamless and productive experience for both the students and our facilitators, as the teacher’s involvement is key to maintaining classroom structure and supporting the learning objectives.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us create an engaging and effective educational environment!

ACE sign-ups

High school teachers may use the to sign up. To learn more about how you can support our work, contact engrk12@unr.edu.

Support

All of our K-12 outreach programs are made possible through the generous support of The Mallory Foundation and Nevada Gold Mines. We appreciate their continued support. Interested in supporting Engineering? Please visit the Engineering support page.