Volunteer
With the right network of support, our youth are capable of unlocking solutions to the world’s toughest problems, such as eliminating poverty and disease, conserving finite resources, and creating renewable energy sources.
When you volunteer with Oregon MESA, we are able to expand our service areas, extend our programming and offer life-changing opportunities to more students.
For the 2020-2021 school year, our volunteer programs will operate virtually in order to meet the needs of our students and comply with state guidelines for distance learning and COVID-19 safety protocols.
Volunteer for MESA Day 2021
MESA DAY 2021
May 18th - 20th from 4:30pm - 6pm
We’re looking for volunteers for MESA Day 2021! MESA Day is traditionally the largest annual competition for the hundreds of students served by Oregon MESA. Every year, student-teams are given a challenge (National Engineering Design Competition or NEDC) for which they will identify a problem for a client, create a prototype, and bring to MESA day to compete against other Oregon MESA Students.
This year, we are celebrating MESA Day in a 3-day virtual event May 18th-20th from 4:30pm to 6pm. Students will submit their NEDC projects online before the event and receive feedback from volunteer judges. They will also get to attend a virtual College & Career Fair, participate in a mini-competition, complete a scavenger hunt, and more!
Sign up to volunteer here or contact our Program Coordinator Bianca at bchacamp@pdx.edu
MESA Day Volunteer Opportunities
College & Career Fair
Team Lead
Organize a team of 2-5 people to represent your company or organization at a virtual booth in our College & Career Fair. Serve as the main point of contact between your team and Oregon MESA Staff. (If you are from industry: we recommend that Team Leads be strategically placed in community outreach or education outreach positions at their respective organizations, however we encourage you to sign-up if your organization is small and does not have a designated outreach department.)
Time Commitment: 3-4 hours
Dates: 5/19 4pm-6pm, training week of May 3rd
Team Member
Join your company/organization’s team at a virtual booth in the virtual fair. Sign up for this if a Team Lead from your company/organization has invited you to join the booth.
Time Commitment: 2-3 hours
Dates: 5/19 4pm-6pm, training week of May 3rd
Individual Exhibitor
If you are a STEM professional or researcher with an interesting project or demo you would like to share virtually with our students, you can have your own booth!
Time Commitment: 3-4 hours
Dates: 5/19 4pm-6pm, training week of May 3rd
Challenges & Competitions
NEDC Judge
Volunteer to judge student-teams’ submitted projects for the National Engineering Design Competition. At the beginning of the school year, students were given the theme of “designing for equity & la familia” and tasked to solve a problem using human centered design for family and members of the community. Teams will be submitting a written design brief and project pitch video. You’ll be responsible for reviewing design briefs or videos, providing feedback and scoring based on a rubric.
Time Commitment: 3-4 hours
Dates: judging asynchronous 5/10-5/17, training week of 5/3
MESA Day Competition Judge
Judge our mini-competition held on MESA Day #1. This is an optional for-fun challenge students can compete in during the event. We will provide training on project guidelines and a simple rubric.
Time Commitment: 2-3 hours
Dates: judging asynchronously 5/19, training week of 5/10