Ashley DeLuca

For the first time, Ashley DeLuca, president of the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, and her fellow members are creating a pumpkin launcher to compete in the Nov. 5 Pumpkin Launch at Cal State Fullerton.

A mechanical engineering major, the Lake Forest resident is pursuing a career in the automotive industry. She talks about the all-female team working together to build a slingshot-style launcher to compete for the Pumpkin Trophy.

What do you hope others learn about engineering?

Our club is participating in this event because it’s a great opportunity to showcase the capability of women in engineering. We have a team of eight women designing and constructing a launcher. Hopefully, others can realize that not all stereotypes are true, and that women are fully capable of doing anything that men can, including engineering!

Why is this event educational?

This event is a great opportunity for our club members to learn some of the basics of what goes into designing and building a project on a budget. We’re taking some time to learn how to weld and use the basic tools necessary to build the launcher. The event is also a great outreach to the younger generations to show them that math and science can be fun.

What are the engineering lessons used?

Dynamics is a huge concept that we are using to build our launcher, and we also use quite a bit of geometry — and even some basic physics. It’s a great experience because we actually get to apply what we have learned in our classes to real life. Talking about engineering concepts in class is helpful, but it really ties our lessons together when we can apply that knowledge to an actual project.

Why is engineering important?

I feel like engineering is such a highly desirable career and it’s in such high demand right now. We need to show that with hard work and dedication, a career in engineering isn’t out of the question. If we don’t reach out to the younger generations to show them how we got where we are, who will take our places when the time comes? We need to inspire as many young people as possible and show them that hard work pays off.

Engineering is fun too; it’s not as boring and monotonous as some people think. Hey, we are building a pumpkin launcher, right?

Tell me about your student club.

Our club is the Cal State Fullerton chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. We are a not-for-profit organization and our purpose is to promote the success of women in engineering and recognize women for their life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders.

Chapter members joining DeLuca on the female launch team are:

Katherine Estevez of Diamond Bar, civil engineering
Syvannah Kooyman of Ontario, civil engineering
Kaylee LaFace of Corona, civil engineering
Michelle Pulido of Fullerton, mechanical engineering
Tanya Samra of Downey, master's program in civil and environmental engineering
Lexi Schaffer of Temecula, mechanical engineering
Brianna Woods of La Habra, computer engineering.

Cal State Fullerton’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, Discovery Science Center and Future Scientists & Engineers of America sponsor the Pumpkin Launch event.

More information about the Society of Women Engineers can be found on their website.

Oct. 27, 2011