Help BEAM Support Equal Education For All!

Berkeley Engineers and Mentors (BEAM) fuses science education with mentorship by leading weekly hands-on science and engineering lessons at local elementary and middle schools. UC Berkeley undergraduate students provide accessible science education to our local communities in hopes of inspiring students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to pursue careers in STEM. We give a path for underrepresented students in public schools a chance to be introduced to STEM subjects through interactive and fun projects. Through our organization, we teach at 17 public elementary and middle schools in the local Berkeley and Oakland area—teaching over 300 students a week. 

BEAM’s budget covers a number of different expenses. The majority of our budget will be used for lesson materials. Each semester we have 10+ lessons at several different schools. Each lesson requires us to plan and purchase materials such that every student has the chance to experiment and build. Another large portion of the budget is allocated to transportation. BEAM covers all transportation costs to get our mentors to their respective elementary and middle schools sites. Expenses for risk management are used for fingerprinting and background checks for our Berkeley mentors who go to site. Finally, advertising/recruitment expenses support our initiatives to get more UC Berkeley students to join our team.

As we continue to grow our organization, we are looking for financial support to buy more supplies for our lessons and to help fund transportation costs to and from the schools we teach. From taste-receptor altering Miraculin to popsicle sticks for our classic Marshmallow Catapult lesson, BEAM’s interactive curriculum relies heavily on the use of various school supplies—encouraging students to explore scientific concepts and engineering principles with their own hands. In addition, we are looking to grow the BEAM program within the East Bay, having expanded into two new schools this semester alone. As we venture further to provide accessible STEM education, BEAM is seeking more sustainable and effective transportation solutions to reach young students for our weekly lessons.

We ask for your support through donations or through sharing our project page as we continue to 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 expenses including transportation and club materials. To stay up-to-date on BEAM happenings or to hear more stories about our mentors, follow our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/beam.teach/) or visit our website (https://beam.berkeley.edu/).