As a freshman in high school Susy Borboa never thought she would end up going to college, but that changed after spending a week in the Summer Engineering Academy at the Tucson Urban League in 2002.
Borboa is now a mechanical engineering junior at the University of Arizona, and the College of Engineering couldn't be happier.
"If it wasn't for this workshop, I don't know what I would be doing," Borboa said. "That's part of why I'm here this summer. I grew up on the South Side and I'm an engineering student now, and other kids need to see that."
This week Borboa, 20, and industrial engineering senior Luis Villegas, 23, alongside fourth-time participant and Tucson High junior Peter Druart, 16, are teaching kids how to design cars and engineer other machines, at the academy offered by the UA College of Engineering. The academy is held at the Urban League's Intel Computer Clubhouse, 2305 S. Park Ave.
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The free program, which began Monday and ends Friday, targets 12- to 18-year-olds from Tucson's South Side, though the program is open to anyone in the age group.
Borboa, Villegas and Druart teach participants the basics in aerodynamics, materials engineering and how to use a 3-D and modeling program known as SolidWorks.
"South Tucson is a great area for us to reach out to," said Ray Umashankar, assistant dean of the UA College of Engineering and head of the college's multicultural engineering program. "The main issue is we believe there is a pool of talent in schools that serve underprivileged populations, and any time we can bring opportunity to a community that might not normally have it is a good thing. We need more engineers from the South Side, from Latino, African-American and different communities."
On Monday and Tuesday, students learned how to use the SolidWorks software and designed cars.
Participants are using Wednesday and today to design their inventions as well as talk with engineers from Texas Instruments.
Inventions ranged from toys for disabled children, to robots that help with construction projects, to shoes that allow people to fly.
Students will spend Friday at the UA College of Engineering, and participants will see their auto designs as small-scale models and test them in a wind tunnel.
Ben Dickens, 11, designed a hovering motorcycle.
"I like motorcycles and hovering would be a good way for people to get around, and my bike won't pollute as much as cars," Ben said.
Ben's mother has driven him to the academy each day from their home in Sahuarita.
Devin Stewart, a junior at University High School, heard about the program from his mother.
"Since I was a little kid playing with blocks I've enjoyed building stuff," said Stewart, 16. "So I've thought engineering might be what I want to do, but coming here and actually using the same software engineers use, it inspires me."
He plans to pursue a career in engineering.
"I didn't even know this computer lab was here at the Urban League, but now I know how to use this software — the same software NASA and other companies use. That should help in college," Stewart said.
