Terracon Foundation Awards Grant to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, Calif. — The Terracon Foundation announced a $5,000 University Grant to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) to support engineering students and empower local K-12 students to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering or math.

With a “learn by doing” philosophy, Cal Poly Pomona offers numerous fields of study within eight colleges, including the College of Engineering which offers 11 undergraduate programs and seven graduate programs. The college is currently ranked 5th nationally for its undergraduate engineering program, among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report (2020).

The grant will be used to support Cal Poly Pomona’s Women in Engineering (CPP WE) and Femineer® programs which provide outreach to female K-12 students and university students considering a career in engineering. Cal Poly Pomona Women in Engineering provides students with on-campus support and career preparation, while Femineer® provides K-12 students with technical engineering skills such as programming and helps them engage in critical thinking and project-based learning.

“Cal Poly Pomona has a reputation in the consulting industry as a top-notch educator of civil engineers,” said Carl Parten, senior principal and office manager in Terracon’s Colton office, who championed the grant. “Only about 13%of engineers are women, so we are proud to provide a grant that will be used to encourage more women to join and succeed in this dynamic and fulfilling career.”

Cordelia Ontiveros, Ph.D., P.E., professor emerita and CPP WE founder, from Cal Poly Pomona announced the grant Oct. 22 during a CPP WE videoconference workshop.  Terracon CEO and President Gayle Packer commented on the importance of supporting the next generation of engineers.

“CPP WE has served more than 14,000 students since the program was founded in 2012. During that time, first-time freshman female engineering enrollment has grown from 13% to 21%,” said Ontiveros. “We are thankful to Terracon for this grant to support more women to thrive in engineering.” For more information about California State Polytechnic University Pomona’s College of Engineering, visit cpp.edu/engineering/.

About Terracon Foundation

To date, the Terracon Foundation has granted more than $3 million to community organizations, universities, dependents of employees, and for disaster relief efforts. The Terracon Foundation has been making grants to provide engineering students with scholarships since 2008. For more information about the Terracon Foundation and other organizations it has supported, visit terracon.com/foundation.

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 5,000 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 150 offices with services available in all 50 states. Terracon ranks 22nd on Engineering News-Record’s 2020 list of Top 500 Design Firms.