Stem innovation center
Please note: the Innovation Centers will be closed during the Summer.
Welcome to the STEM Innovation Center!
Our Mission
The mission of the STEM Innovation Center is to build STEM knowledge, interest, skills, and leadership by providing innovative high-quality STEM experiential learning and mentoring experiences. The STEM Innovation Center will serve as a project and career-based learning hub for students to gain immersive experiences from virtual reality to STEM in the field trips with industry partners and STEM faculty to build upon rigorous classroom learning.
Service Area Outcomes
- Students that utilize the STEM Innovation Center services will improve their STEM course completion.
- Students that utilize the STEM Innovation Center services will learn about various STEM fields and opportunities.
- Students that utilize the STEM Innovation Center services will earn degrees/certificates in STEM fields and transfer to 4-year universities in their intended STEM major.
Services Available:
- Tech Navigators
- Math Mentors
- Peer Academic Mentors
- PC-USDA STEM Enrichment Speaker Series
- Math Mondays Competition
- Tech Tuesdays Workshops
- Virtual Reality Program
Join Our Team!
Tech Navigators
Tech Navigators serve as a liaison between the technology department and staff, assisting students on a peer-to-peer basis. They provide support for educational platforms such as insidePC, Canvas, Zoom, Grammarly, and basic computer support.
Math Mentors
Math Mentors provide assistance to Porterville College students on a first come first serve basis, through a range of mathematics courses during walk-in hours.
From Pre-Algebra to Differential Calculus, any help you need is available here!
Peer Academic Tutors
The Peer Academic Mentorship Program serves as a cornerstone of the STEM Center & Literacy Center, designed to provide activities that lend structure and space for strengthening community, leadership, and critical consciousness.
The program aligns with the College's focus on peer coaching and connecting students to a strong network in their first semester, ensuring persistence and a sense of belonging. Peer Mentor Specialists and Peer Academic Mentors will regularly host activities and events for a cohort of students who are academically at risk.
PC-USDA STEM Enrichment Speaker Series
The STEM Enrichment Speaker Series is a set of discussions from professionals in various STEM fields. This allows current and prospective Porterville College students to gain an insight into the daily functions of the fastest-growing Engineering disciplines available.
Furthermore, this allows students to develop professional relationships with various people in their intended program of interest. These connections allow students to gain experience through hands-on internships and careers with local companies in their study areas.
Math Mondays
Ready to prove yourself in Mathematics and win cool prizes? If so, Math Mondays are for you!
Every Monday, the Math Mentors will host a workshop that will have activities focused on learning math in a fun and different way! The first person to answer a question correctly gets a prize!
Tech Tuesdays
Provided by the Porterville College Tech Navigators, Tech Tuesday is an event designed to be a revolutionary new way to teach students the basics of various computer software and programs. From learning how to use Grammarly to developing a professional profile via LinkedIn, you'll always learn something new at Tech Tuesday!
Virtual Reality Program
The PC Virtual Reality Program provides immersive and interactive experiences for students to explore places they may not be able to travel. VR creates an entirely digital environment, a 360-degree, immersive user experience that feels real. In a VR setting, students can interact with what they see as if they were really there. For example, a virtual reality field trip to other parts of the world, such as Peru or China, exposes students to cultures other than their own. PC Virtual Reality Student Assistants work collaboratively with VR-trained instructors to assist with activities and assignments in the VR-trained instructors' courses.
Resources
Stem Internships/Work:
Contact
Reagen Dozier, Program Director - Title V
Email: reagen.dozier@portervillecollege.edu
Rachel Surprenant, Peer Academic Mentor - Virtual Reality
Phone: 559-791-2241
PC Tech Navigators:
Phone: 559-791-2241
Email: pctechnavigators@portervillecollege.edu
