Promoting Inclusion & Engagement in STEM (PIES) offers Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) outreach in the community supporting local high school students and their teachers, which is aligned with the Anchor priority issue area of Pre K-12 education. The main purposes of this program are to broaden students’ engagement with academic STEM activities and to impact the way they think of themselves as potential college students. PIES involves collaboration between K-12 teachers, Sac State faculty from three colleges (Natural Sciences & Mathematics (NSM), Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), and Education (COE)) and students, Mathematics and Science Education (MASE) Center, Math Literacy Program, and high school students. We are partnering with multiple sections from two schools- Hiram Johnson High School (HJHS) and Luther Burbank High School (LBHS). This is a continuation and extension of our 2022-2023 PI-Math program, which stemmed from a collaboration between Math Project at Sac State and Saturday Math Gymnasium. On April 20, 2024, about 56 high school students, 50 Sac State students and faculty participated in the PIES event. Sac State students participated in facilitating math game stations for high schools students, led a student panel, and competed with high school students on Estimathon. On May 3, 2025, 54 high school students, 19 Sac State students and faculty participated in the PIES event. Sac State students participated in facilitating math game stations for high schools students, led a student panel, and mentored high school students on Estimathon.
2024-2025 Promoting Inclusion & Engagement in STEM (PIES) is supported by the MAA Tensor Summa grant and Robert S. Nelson Civic Engagement grant.
PIES Group Photo
Hula hoop Challenge
Tik-Frac-Toe
Tower of Hanoi
Egyptian Fractions
Estimathon
PIES Group Photo
Group engaged in a challenge
Group engaged in a math puzzle "Cup Stacking"
Group engaged in a math puzzle "Apple Picking"
Campus tour with Sac State mentors.
Group engaged with the STEM session on LED greeting cards.
A high school student's work on LED greetings card.
Attendees at the Estimathon.
Jordan Scott, Teacher at Luther Burbank High School
"Thank you again for the opportunities you have provided to our students. They had a great time, really enjoyed games and the breakout sessions, the Estimathon, being on Sac State's campus, and engaging with their peers, Sac State students and faculty! thank you! Look forward to our next collaboration."
Fernando Rodriguez, Teacher at Hiram Johnson High School
"This weekend was so great, our students were talking about it today in class."