We are excited to announce that for the 2024-2025 year, MESA students will be working on the theme of Climate Action: Designing for Environmental Sustainability. The theme is the culmination of our three year climate action pathway, exploring the ways innovation and technology can support environmental justice and environmental conservation simultaneously.
MESA middle and high school student teams across Oregon will be identifying and collaborating with a local client, working to create and maintain healthy, equitable and diverse communities and ecosystems. A wide range of industry partners are involved in this theme, including environmental scientists, clean energy engineers, city planners, project managers, sustainability consultants, environmental educators, natural resources managers, and many more.
Equity Above All
MESA’s mission to bridge the equity gap in STEM fields is translated in the way we select our annual themes. Issues of justice are at the center of the Climate Action pathway. This year’s theme of Designing for Environmental Sustainability focuses on sustainability understood as the “capacity to create and maintain healthy, equitable and diverse communities and ecosystems. That capacity comprises:
- an understanding and respect for the interdependence of the atmosphere, the waters, the land, and all life on Earth;
- a full recognition of legacy and on-going impacts of human activity;
- a commitment to cultivate collective wisdom and to deliberately act out of that understanding, respect and recognition.”
The above definition, outlined by the University of Washington, highlights how human impact can positively work in reciprocity with nature. In researching this theme, the MESA team consulted the Dean of PSU’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, Dr. Joseph Bull (Delaware Tribe of Indians) to inform our understanding of sustainability. In our conversation, the importance of viewing sustainability through the lens of relationships —considering how technology and innovation can have a mutual positive impact on human beings and the environment was emphasized . As Dean Bull articulated, “Sustainability means being a good relative, making positive change that will last for seven generations ahead. We are in a relationship with the environment and have a responsibility to maintain and care for that relationship.”
Building upon the work they engaged in for the past two years, students will continue to learn from and uplift indigenous leaders and voices, co-creating solutions in community. Rooting the invention process in indigenous knowledge systems provides a deeper connection to sustainable practices that have been honed over generations. By incorporating these perspectives, students not only gain valuable insights but also contribute to the preservation and respect of indigenous wisdom.
Our approach to climate action is intersectional, as it takes into account the disproportionate ways BIPoC communities are impacted by climate change and harm to the environment, while also centering and empowering the voices and practices of Indigenous communities. We recognize that the root causes of the climate crisis are white supremacy, colonization, and patriarchy. Our students, historically underrepresented in STEM fields, bring diverse, necessary, and innovative perspectives to the issue.
How Can You Get Involved?
There are many ways you can get involved and support our students as they work on this theme:
- Do you have a perspective to share on this year’s theme based on your professional or lived experience? Collaborate with our student inventors by serving as a client as they investigate the theme! Fill out the client interest form or reach out to us at ormesa@pdx.edu for more information.
- Are you a college student or MESA alum interested in working directly with our students to provide valuable input and empowerment as they design their inventions? Become a paid MESA mentor – details and application instructions are here.
- We are seeking industry professionals, university students, and volunteers in the field to provide students with virtual and in-person support as STEAM Coaches. If that is of interest, fill out our volunteer interest form and we will be in touch.