2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Persistent inequities in STEM participation continue to limit diversity within the engineering workforce. Women, Black, and Hispanic individuals remain underrepresented in U.S. engineering fields (Pew Research Center, 2023), often due to unequal early exposure, lower self-efficacy, and limited access to enrichment opportunities. K–12 outreach programs that provide experiential learning environments are a promising strategy to address these gaps. This study examines EPIC, a one-week residential summer program in the College of Engineering at California State University San Luis Obispo, which immerses middle and high school students in engineering disciplines through philosophy.

The 2025 EPIC cohort engaged in hands-on workshops spanning civil, mechanical, electrical, and biomedical engineering while living on campus under mentorship from instructors and student leaders. The study utilized matched pre- and post-survey data ((N = 206) to evaluate two primary dimensions: (1) challenge-based factors—including race, first-generation status, and prior engineering exposure—and (2) geographic and socioeconomic factors, inferred from ZIP code–linked U.S. Census data on household income and education levels. Data were processed and analyzed to quantify confidence and interest changes.
Regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between students’ self-reported “challenge” levels and gains in confidence, suggesting that those from historically marginalized or underserved backgrounds experienced the greatest benefit. Students from low-income ZIP codes and regions with lower educational attainment—particularly Santa Maria, CA —showed the most substantial increases in interest and confidence. Conversely, students from higher-income ZIP codes tended to begin with elevated baseline interest and confidence, yielding smaller net gains.
These findings provide quantitative evidence that programs like EPIC play a measurable role in enhancing self-efficacy and interest in engineering especially among students from marginalized and lower socioeconomic communities. The combination of residential campus immersion, project-based learning, and intentional equity partnerships (e.g., with the Migrant Ed Program) appears to be particularly impactful in mitigating early exposure disparities.