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CESAME - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Center for Engineering, Science and Mathematics Education

Programs

Website Update

CESAME Teaching Opportunities for Cal Poly Students

CESAME Learning Facilitators

SCM 302: Learn by Doing Lab

In SCM 302: Learn by Doing Lab, Cal Poly students step into the role of STEM educators, leading hands-on science experiences for local 5th - 8th grade students on Cal Poly's campus. Working alongside fellow undergraduates, students design, facilitate, and reflect on inquiry-based activities that spark curiosity and make science come alive. Whether exploring a career in teaching or building leadership, communication, and mentoring skills, students gain meaningful experience while making a positive impact on the community. SCM 302 includes both seminar and laboratory components, is offered Credit/No Credit, and may be repeated for up to 4 units.

CESAME Outreach Facilitators

Make an Impact in the SLO Community

Want to get involved, volunteer in the community, meet other Cal Poly students and faculty, and make STEM fun for local kids? Become a CESAME Outreach Facilitator!

Open to all Cal Poly students, the CESAME Outreach Facilitators is a volunteer program that brings students together for hands-on events throughout the academic year, including Thursday night Farmers’ Market activities in the fall, STEM Nights in the spring, and SLO Library events throughout both semesters.

Get Involved on Your Schedule

Whether you need volunteer hours for a club or organization, want to give back to the community, or are looking for a fun way to meet new people, CESAME offers a flexible way to get involved.

Events take place outside normal class hours, and you can participate as much or as little as your schedule allows.

As a CESAME Outreach Facilitator, you can:

  • Complete volunteer hours while giving back to the community
  • Meet other Cal Poly students and faculty
  • Work with kids through fun, hands-on STEM activities
  • Build connections throughout the San Luis Obispo community
  • Develop communication, collaboration, leadership, and other skills that can carry into future career

$150 Try Teaching STEM! Scholarship Opportunity

Students who participate in CESAME Learning Facilitator activities and meet additional qualifications will be eligible for a $150 scholarship. For more details and a list of the requirements, go to https://cesame.calpoly.edu/try-teaching-stem-scholarship.

Join Now and Don’t Miss the Fall Events

CESAME Outreach Facilitators will be active throughout Fall 2026 and Spring 2027, and students can sign up at any time. Sign up now to be part of the program from the start and make sure you don’t miss the first Fall 2026 events.

Interested in joining? Click here to apply now!

Novel Engineering

Bring Stories to Life with CESAME Novel Engineering

Do you enjoy working with children, literature, creative problem-solving, and/or STEM? Novel Engineering brings these interests together.

Novel Engineering Learning Facilitators is a paid program where Cal Poly students mentor K-8 students using a hands-on approach that connects classroom literature with engineering design challenges. Novel Engineering provides young learners with an innovative way to explore STEM.

Learn By Doing

The Novel Engineering Learning Facilitator position is open to all majors. You do not need to be an Engineering major or have any previous Engineering experience to participate.

Novel Engineering Learning Facilitators incorporate the engineering design process to mentor young students to think creatively, work through challenges, and gain confidence in their own ideas.

Novel Engineering Learning Facilitators will build skills that include but are not limited to:

  • Effective communication skills
  • Small group facilitation
  • Creative problem-solving
  • Team building
  • Engagement and encouragement tools

Schedule and Pay

Mandatory Training Workshop: 10 AM - 3 PM on Saturday, September 26

Novel Engineering Sessions: Thursdays, October 1 - November 19, noon - 4 PM at local elementary school site

Learning Facilitators are paid $18 - $20 per hour.

Apply by September 21

Applications are open to all Cal Poly students.

Applications are due Monday, September 21.

Interested? Click here to apply now!

Puppet Parade Project

Bring a Giant Puppet to Life with CESAME!

Do you enjoy working with children, creative problem-solving, engineering, art, and/or STEAM? The Puppet Parade Project brings these interests together.

Puppet Parade Project Learning Facilitators is a paid program where Cal Poly students will work with fourth-through-sixth grade students at Pacheco Elementary to design, build, and bring to life a giant puppet(s) for Pacheco Elementary’s float in the San Luis Obispo December Holiday Parade.

Together, the team will combine engineering design and puppetry to create a functional, lightweight, durable puppet that can be safely manipulated by children during the parade.

Learn By Doing

The Puppet Parade Project is open to all majors. You do not need to be an Engineering major or have previous puppetry experience to participate.

Learning Facilitators will mentor young students through a hands-on design-and-build process. You will help students imagine possibilities, work through challenges, test ideas, and contribute to a shared creation.

We are looking for students who enjoy working with children; are interested in STEAM; and bring curiosity, wonder, enthusiasm, self-motivation, and a strong work ethic.

Puppet Parade Project Learning Facilitators will build skills that include, but are not limited to:

  • Effective communication skills
  • Small-group facilitation
  • Engineering design and creative problem-solving
  • Hands-on making and prototyping
  • Team building and collaboration
  • Basic puppetry and performance 

Schedule and Pay

Mandatory Training Workshops: 2:30-4:30pm on Monday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 23

Puppet Making Sessions: Mondays and Wednesdays, September 28 through December 2, 2:30 - 4:30pm at Pacheco Elementary School

SLO Holiday Parade: Friday, December 4, approx. 5 - 9pm

Puppet Parade Learning Facilitators are paid $18 per hour.

Interested? Please email Professor Crystal Mercado at cmerca12@calpoly.edu by Wednesday, September 9th for an application.

ChangeMakers

ChangeMakers is a specialized CESAME program for students who have completed the General Learning Facilitator program and want to take a more active role in STEM education and community engagement. Working with K - 6 students in local classrooms, Cal Poly students plan and facilitate hands-on science and engineering investigations that encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and real-world problem solving. Through NGSS-aligned activities, students help young learners make observations, collect data, draw conclusions, and explore solutions to challenges facing their communities and environment. Along the way, ChangeMakers develop valuable skills in teaching, leadership, communication, and lesson design while helping make science accessible, engaging, and meaningful for the next generation.

CESAME is constantly developing new programs and expanding existing opportunities for Cal Poly students to engage in STEM education, outreach, and community impact. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the CESAME newsletter to stay connected and be the first to learn about new opportunities to get involved.

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