Inspiring Our Future Scientists!

What is BEAM?

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. Currently, we serve students in the EBAC, EBAYC, Safe Passages, and Aspire districts in Oakland as well as the WCCUSD district based in Richmond. BEAM is completely student-run and we design our own interactive curriculum to cater to the 13 schools and over 500 students we teach.

BEAM Fall 25 Cohort

Why Donate?

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 building prosthetic knees to model hydraulic machines, 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 expanding our organization to meet demand from both our sites and students who are interested in joining. 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. 

Some of the Fall 25 lesson activities: building boats, making prosthetics, balancing objects, and glow in the dark drawings!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. Even just $0.50 allows us to purchase materials for a lesson for one student! 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. 

Our Budget 

BEAM’s budget covers several different expenses. The majority of our budget will be used for site transportation. BEAM covers all transportation costs to get our mentors to their respective school sites. As our organization has shifted sites based on demand and priority, such as an expansion to more Title I Oakland schools, we acquire a more significant transportation budget. 

Expenses for risk management are used for required fingerprinting and background checks for our mentors who go to site. As BEAM grows to accommodate more mentors, this expense also increases. 

Another core piece of our budget is lesson materials. Each semester we have 9+ lessons for over 20 different sites. Each lesson requires us to plan and purchase materials in order for every student to have the chance to experiment and build.

Finally, advertising/recruitment expenses support our initiatives to grow our community of Berkeley mentors. 

All funds raised will be allocated to these expenses in the order of their magnitude.If we are able to surpass our goal, the additional money will be used to expand our lesson budget, which would allow students to have individual activity materials and take them home. With your support, BEAM can continue to provide opportunities for equitable STEM education to the local community!

All estimates are rough and actual expenditures may vary.

 

Connect with Us!

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