Help BEAM Inspire the Next Generation of Scientists!

Berkeley Engineers and Mentors (BEAM) is UC Berkeley's premier STEM mentorship organization. We lead weekly hands-on STEM lessons to local K-8 students in the hopes to inspire them that anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or background, can pursue a career in science. BEAM is completely student-run and we design our own interactive curriculum to cater to the 12 schools and over 400 students we teach.

This year, mentees have learned about electricity and even built their own circuits!

 

As we continue to grow our organization, we are seeking financial support for lesson materials and transportation costs to and from the schools that we teach. With activities ranging from candy chromatography to bridge building, BEAM’s interactive curriculum relies heavily on using various school supplies—encouraging students to explore scientific concepts and engineering principles with their own hands. In addition, we are looking to grow our organization within the East Bay, including our expansion into the Oakland EBAYC school district this year. As we venture further to provide accessible STEM education, BEAM seeks more sustainable and effective transportation solutions to reach young students for our weekly lessons.

Mentees can also apply physics to construct complex Rube Goldberg machines!

 

We ask for your support through donations or through sharing our project page as we pursue our mission of equitable STEM education for elementary and middle school students throughout the Berkeley and Oakland area. 100% of ALL proceeds go to BEAM’s mission through funds for operational costs, including curriculum materials, risk management costs like fingerprinting, transportation, and recruitment costs.

BEAM’s budget covers several different expenses. The majority of our budget will be used for lesson materials and transportation. Each semester we have 9+ lessons at various different schools. Each lesson requires us to plan and purchase materials in order for every student to have the chance to experiment and build. BEAM covers all transportation costs to get our mentors to their respective elementary and middle school sites. Expenses for risk management are used for required fingerprinting and background checks for our mentors who go to site. Finally, advertising/recruitment expenses support our initiatives to grow our community of Berkeley mentors. With your support, BEAM can continue to provide opportunities for equitable STEM education to the local community!

To stay up-to-date on BEAM happenings or to hear more stories about our mentors, follow our Instagram page or visit our website.