Piner High School STEAM Certificate

Level 1 Response

Eli Bui

SSU Campus Tour

17 March 2023

On a campus tour to Sonoma State University, Piner High School students of any grade were

given the opportunity to visit this university, located in Rohnert Park, California. As students

were on the grounds, they got an entire tour of the campus with their undergraduate guide Darius

and after were shown a slide show presentation discussing the school in detail by another college

student named David. After this, students were split into two groups depending on their last

names, and led by Sonoma State University professors, students were shown glimpses of how the

medical field and engineering fields look like at SSU, with hands-on displays being shown and

questions greatly encouraged.

At the entrance of Sonoma State University, our bus full of nearly forty students was introduced

by Professor Thomas Targett, and shortly after were guided around campus by the

Undergraduate Darius. After a short tour of the school grounds, with some notable buildings

being Darwin’s Hall, the gymnasium which has an indoor track, and the recreation center, we

were shown a slide show presentation by another undergraduate named David. After the short

presentation on general information about SSU, we were divided into two groups depending on

our last names, with group one being letters A - K and group two being students with last names

from L - Z. I was a part of group one, and we were first brought to a room that specialized in
teaching students about the medical field, and how it works. Our guides, who were both

professors at SSU, showed us around the room, going through the different medical-related item

displays, with some articles being a dummy patient, realistic rubber arm, and defibrillator. For

each of the objects, we were shown their functions and how they served to benefit the learning of

the students in that particular class. For instance, there were multiple dummy patients that came

in different ages, these dummies would allow students to study and get familiar with the process

of taking care of people while in the hospital setting. Another object was the realist rubber arm,

the touch and feel of the arm were meant to help simulate finding veins, as when needles were

used during the class, students were to practice finding each other's veins, using the arm as a

form of preparation. After this exploration, our group was transferred to the other professor, in

which we were brought to SSU’s mechanical department which was located in the library. While

in the mechanical department, we were shown how their 3d-printers and wood-burning stations

functioned, as they passed around some intricate 3d-printed figures and wood with writing

burned onto it. At the end exhibition, our guide asked us to provide them with at least three

questions to continue the tour, and I put in a query asking about whether or not the materials

used in students' creations were free or not. The response to that was that any materials used

were free, and if students wanted to use bring their own materials they were allowed to use them.

After this, our group reunited with the rest of the class, and after a stay at SSU’s cafeteria, the

tour officially ended.

Reflection

Overall, I felt like my experience at Sonoma State University was very well put together and I

had a great time with what we were shown! My impressions of SSU’s medical and mechanical

departments, respectfully, were more than I had expected in a positive way, as they helped me
really get a glimpse into how those two professions work. Although, my personal favorite

moment of the tour has got to be at the end when we were given an hour to rest and have lunch at

SSU’s canteen. I personally value good hospitality at things like schools or trips before

acknowledging what the place has got to offer, and their cafeteria honestly blew me away!

Lastly, I would want to recognize SSUs school grounds, as the scenery mixed in with their

modern buildings really left a worthwhile impression on me!

Article Analysis: SSU engineering program in growth mode, By Cynthia Sweeney

Expanding on the Engineering/ Mechanical program at SSU, I found an article that helps

highlight how the department has grown since 2016. It also shined some light on

underappreciated aspects of the career. The engineering program started in 2006, with just

twenty students, and it quickly expanded, tripling in students in just two years. SSU’s

engineering department differed from other colleges by it putting emphasis on comprehensive,

and experiential education. Saeid Rahimi, a professor at SSU and someone who helped develop

the program in its early stages, stated in an interview, “Our motto is learning by doing. From day

one we get students involved in laboratory courses, more so than other schools. It’s something

we’re very proud of”, this quote reflects SSU’s engineering department as a whole; as it is a

process of trial and error. During the time of the interview, senior engineering students spent two

semesters creating a new technology product, which was meant to emulate how actual start-up

businesses work, and in the span of a semester, participants were devoted to designing,

researching, and raising funds for their project. For example, seniors Jon Porrazzo, Erik Zaro,

and Campbell Smith helped develop a company named “Wird” (Wireless Internal Repeater and
Detector), which promoted a fire detector-like device that could detect smoke, temperature, and

monoxide levels. Additionally, when triggered, the device could forward its information to a cell

phone via text or email, and can potentially contact 911 in an emergency. Porrazzo and his team

researched the technology, and protocols on how to implement the technology, and looked to see

if there are other products like it on the market beforehand.