EPIC 2025
When applying students may select more than one session/week (High School program only). However, students will only be admitted for one week.
2025 Engineering Topics
Students are placed in "tracks" consisting of 2-4 labs. We try our best to provide students with a schedule that best matches the fields of engineering they state they are interested in learning about on their EPIC application. See the corresponding session tab for a list of labs being offered.
Participating students will learn about the following fields of engineering throughout the week regardless of the track they enroll in through guest speakers, Cal Poly engineering student panel, the engineering major fair, and their engineering counselors.
| AERO | Aerospace Engineering |
| ARCE | Architectural Engineering |
| BMED | BioMedical Engineering |
| BRAE | BioResource and Agricultural Engineering |
| CE | Civil Engineering |
| CPE | Computer Engineering |
| CSC | Computer Science Engineering |
| EE | Electrical Engineering |
| ENVE | Environmental Engineering |
| GENE | General Engineering |
| IE | Industrial Engineering |
| MATE | Materials Engineering |
| ME | Mechanical Engineering |
| MNFG | Manufacturing Engineering |
| SW | Software Engineering |
Deadlines
January 6, 2025 - Online application opens
February 7, 2025 - Early admission application closes
March 31, 2025 - Early admission decision notifications go out. Online application closes.
April 11, 2025 - Early admission offer acceptance or decline
April 18, 2025 - Regular admission decision notifications go out
May 2, 2025 - Regular admission offer acceptance or decline
May 9, 2025 – Waitlist status notifications go out
May 16, 2025 All required material must be electronically signed and submitted
Who can apply
EPIC is open to all current 6th-11th graders. The program’s primary goals are to attract more female, first-generation, and low-income students to the field of engineering and inspire them to choose it as a career path. However, ALL students are welcome to apply regardless of background. Acceptance into EPIC is based on your essay and an indication (from your GPA, the classes you have taken, extracurricular activities, etc.) that you have applied yourself to your studies. The EPIC program does its best to determine which students will gain the most from the program.
How to apply
You can find information and steps on how to apply here.
Required Materials
Transcripts and letters of recommendation are NOT needed.
EPIC 2025 Dates
| Session | Dates | Grade Level | ||
| Session 1 | June 29-July 3 | 6th-8th | ||
| Session 2 | July 6-11 | 9th-11th | ||
| Session 3 | July 13-18 | 9th-11th | ||
| Session 4 | July 20-25 | 9th-11th |
Grades are based on Spring 2025 enrollment.
Highlights and Daily Schedule
(Pacific Standard Time)
| Residential Program Schedule | |
| 7:30-8:00am | Morning Gathering |
| 8:10-9:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:10-11:00am | Engineering Class |
| 11:10-12:00pm | Engineering Fields Presentations/Industry Guest Speakers |
| 12:10-1:00pm | Lunch Break |
| 1:10-3:00pm | Engineering Class |
| 3:10-5:00pm | Engineering Design Team Project |
| 5:10-5:30pm | Break |
| 5:30-6:30pm | Dinner |
| 6:30-8:30pm | Evening Activities |
| 8:30-9:00pm | Evening Gathering |
| 9:00-10:00pm | Free Time |
| 10:00-11:00pm | On Floor/In Room |
| 11:00 PM | Lights Out |
IMPORTANT: Please take an at-home COVID test before check-in on Sunday. We will be offering testing at check-in as well. Participants who are COVID positive will not be allowed to stay.
Session 1: June 29- July, 3 6th-8th Grade
| Title | Description | Majors |
| Arduino | TBD | Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Engineering Software Engineering |
| Cardiovascular System: Vessels and Disease | Students will learn about cardiovascular disease and measure cardiovascular metrics. They will understand the importance of these metrics in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease which is the number one cause of death. | BioMedical Engineering |
| Casting | Learn how metal is manufactured and formed. This lab will provide hands-on experience in metal casting and additive manufacturing. | Manufacturing Engineering |
| Design of Heavy Equipment (Cranes) | This workshop offers hands-on experience in crane design, where students explore engineering principles like stability and lifting power. Working in teams, they build prototypes using simple materials and compete for the most effective design. | Aerospace Engineering Architecture Engineering Civil Engineering Industrial Engineering Manufacturing Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Eco Composite Materials Surfboard | In this hands-on project, students learn the composite wet layup and vacuum bagging processes by shaping and laminating custom surfboards. They also test composite box beams to evaluate strength and weight, aiming to find the most efficient designs. | Aerospace Engineering Architecture Engineering Civil Engineering Industrial Engineering Manufacturing Engineering Materials Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Engine Dissection and Reassembly | This lab offers hands-on experience with a four-stroke gasoline engine through disassembly and reassembly. Students identify key components, study engine operation across all strokes, and explore how design choices impact performance. | Aerospace Engineering General Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Fun with Keeping a Secret | Security fundamentals (CIA) will be introduced. The historical methods to achieve confidentiality will be introduced. Students will practice these methods and develop their own methods to achieve confidentiality. | TBD |
| Shining a light on Solar Energy | Students explore solar energy by learning how to align photovoltaic panels for optimal efficiency, building basic circuits, and testing solar ovens. Hands-on activities foster STEM skills while highlighting the sustainability of solar technology. | BioResource Engineering Electrical Engineering Environmental Engineering Materials Engineering Software Engineering |
| Supply Chain Explorers | In this interactive lab, students explore supply chain management through games and hands-on activities, building teamwork and analytical skills while tackling real-world logistics challenges. | Industrial Engineering |
| TBD-Robotics | TBD | TBD |
| What is a house? | An introduction to what architecture and engineering are and what they can be, through the lens of residential design. Through models, we’ll explore new shapes of what our houses can be. | Architecture Engineering Architectural Engineering Structural Engineering |
| Wind Power | Students design and build wind turbines that pump water, experimenting with blade shape, gear design, and wind speed to understand how wind energy can be harnessed efficiently. | Mechanical Engineering |
Session 2: July 6-11, 9th-11th Grade
| Title | Description | Majors |
| Cardiovascular System: Vessels and Disease | Students will learn about cardiovascular disease and measure cardiovascular metrics. They will understand the importance of these metrics in diagnosis of cardiovascular disease which is the number one cause of death. | BioMedical Engineering |
| Casting | Learn how metal is manufactured and formed. This lab will provide hands-on experience in metal casting and additive manufacturing. | Manufacturing Engineerinig |
| Constructing a drawing | We will draw a series of cube puzzles in a variety of architectural drawing types. plan, elevation, section, and axonometric | Architecture Engineering Architectural Engineering Structural Engineering |
| Design of Heavy Equipment (Cranes) | This lab offers hands-on experience with a four-stroke gasoline engine through disassembly and reassembly. Students identify key components, study engine operation across all strokes, and explore how design choices impact performance. | Aerospace Enginering Architecure Engineering Civil Engineering Industrial Engineering Manufacurting Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Engine Dissection and Reassembly | This lab offers hands-on experience with a four-stroke gasoline engine through disassembly and reassembly. Students identify key components, study engine operation across all strokes, and explore how design choices impact performance. | Aerospace Engineering General Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Fun with Keeping a Secret | Security fundamentals (CIA) will be introduced. The historical methods to achieve confidentiality will be introduced. Students will practice these methods and develop their own methods to achieve confidentiality. | TBD |
| Mechatronics Lab and Programming | Students learn microcontroller basics by programming POL.E, a wheeled robot. Working in teams, they identify components, write BASIC code, and guide their robot through a floor course, applying their programming and problem-solving skills. | Computer Science Engineering Cmputer Engineering Mechanical Engineering Software Engineering |
| Process Matters! | You'll complete a task three different ways and analyze which way is the "best"...does that mean fastest? least errors? most satisfied workers? | Industrial Engineering |
| Shining a light on Solar Energy | Students explore solar energy by learning how to align photovoltaic panels for optimal efficiency, building basic circuits, and testing solar ovens. Hands-on activities foster STEM skills while highlighting the sustainability of solar technology. | BioResource Engineering Electrical Engineering Environmental Engineering Materials Engineering Software Engineering |
| Supply Chain Explorers | In this interactive lab, students explore supply chain management through games and hands-on activities, building teamwork and analytical skills while tackling real-world logistics challenges. | Industrial Engineering |
| TBD-Arduino | TBD | Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Engineering Software Engineering |
Session 3: July 13-18, 9th-11th Grade
| Title | Description | Majors |
| Autonomous Driving Fundamentals with Mobile Robots | Students explore autonomous driving using Jetbots and Python, learning key concepts in planning, control, and computer vision through hands-on modules with NVIDIA Jetson-powered robots. | Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Science (CSC), Software Engineering (SE), Computer Engineering (CPE) |
| Cardiovascular System: Vessels and Disease | Students will learn about cardiovascular disease and measure cardiovascular metrics. They will understand the importance of these metrics in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease which is the number one cause of death. | BioMedical Engineering |
| Casting | Learn how metal is manufactured and formed. This lab will provide hands-on experience in metal casting and additive manufacturing. | Manufacturing Engineering |
| Design of Heavy Equipment (Cranes) | This lab offers hands-on experience with a four-stroke gasoline engine through disassembly and reassembly. Students identify key components, study engine operation across all strokes, and explore how design choices impact performance. | Aerospace Engineering Architecture Engineering Civil Engineering Industrial Engineering Manufacturing Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Engine Dissection and Reassembly | This lab offers hands-on experience with a four-stroke gasoline engine through disassembly and reassembly. Students identify key components, study engine operation across all strokes, and explore how design choices impact performance. | Aerospace Engineering General Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Fun with Keeping a Secret | Security fundamentals (CIA) will be introduced. The historical methods to achieve confidentiality will be introduced. Students will practice these methods and develop their own methods to achieve confidentiality. | TBD |
| Mechatronics Lab and Programming | Students learn microcontroller basics by programming POL.E, a wheeled robot. Working in teams, they identify components, write BASIC code, and guide their robot through a floor course, applying their programming and problem-solving skills. | Computer Science Engineering Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering Software Engineering |
| Process Matters! | You'll complete a task three different ways and analyze which way is the "best"...does that mean fastest? least errors? most satisfied workers? | Industrial Engineering |
| Shining a light on Solar Energy | Students explore solar energy by learning how to align photovoltaic panels for optimal efficiency, building basic circuits, and testing solar ovens. Hands-on activities foster STEM skills while highlighting the sustainability of solar technology. | BioResource Engineering Electrical Engineering Environmental Engineering Materials Engineering Software Engineering |
| Supply Chain Explorers | In this interactive lab, students explore supply chain management through games and hands-on activities, building teamwork and analytical skills while tackling real-world logistics challenges. | Industrial Engineering |
| TBD-Arduino | TBD | Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Engineering Software Engineering |
| Tower Building | we will gain an understanding of structural stability in vertical form by building the tallest towers and simulating earthquakes |
Architecture Engineering Architectural Engineering Structural Engineering |
Session 4: July 20-25, 9th-11th Grade
| Title | Description | Majors |
| Autonomous Driving Fundamentals with Mobile Robots | Explore autonomous driving fundamentals using mobile robots (Jetbots) and Python programming. Students will engage in hands-on modules covering planning, control, and computer vision, utilizing NVIDIA Jetson platforms and differential-drive robots to build practical skills in autonomous systems. | Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering |
| Bridge Building | we will gain an understanding of structural stability in horizontal form by building a bridge spanning from one place to another and adding weights to test strength |
Architecture Engineering Architectural Engineering Structural Engineering |
| Cardiovascular System: Vessels and Disease | Students will learn about cardiovascular disease and measure cardiovascular metrics. They will understand the importance of these metrics in the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease which is the number one cause of death. | BioMedical Engineering |
| Casting | Learn how metal is manufactured and formed. This lab will provide hands-on experience in metal casting and additive manufacturing. | Manufacturing Engineering |
| Design of Heavy Equipment (Cranes) | This lab offers hands-on experience with a four-stroke gasoline engine through disassembly and reassembly. Students identify key components, study engine operation across all strokes, and explore how design choices impact performance. | Aerospace Engineering Architecture Engineering Civil Engineering Industrial Engineering Manufacturing Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Engine Dissection and Reassembly | This lab offers hands-on experience with a four-stroke gasoline engine through disassembly and reassembly. Students identify key components, study engine operation across all strokes, and explore how design choices impact performance. | Aerospace Engineering General Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Fun with Keeping a Secret | Security fundamentals (CIA) will be introduced. The historical methods to achieve confidentiality will be introduced. Students will practice these methods and develop their own methods to achieve confidentiality. | TBD |
| Glider Workshop and Composite Material Testing | This workshop offers students the chance to design, build, and test their own gliders with guidance from EPIC counselors. They learn aerospace fundamentals like stability, control, structures, and aerodynamics, applying them to glider design and manufacturing. Using composites and other materials, students plan and construct their gliders. The workshop aims to introduce students to Cal Poly's 'learn by doing' ethos and foster a fun, hands-on learning experience in aerospace engineering. | Aerospace Engineering Manufacturing Engineering Materials Engineering Mechanical Engineering |
| Shining a light on Solar Energy | Students explore solar energy by learning how to align photovoltaic panels for optimal efficiency, building basic circuits, and testing solar ovens. Hands-on activities foster STEM skills while highlighting the sustainability of solar technology. | BioResource Engineering Electrical Engineering Environmental Engineering Materials Engineering Software Engineering |
| Supply Chain Explorers | "Supply Chain Explorers" is an interactive lab introducing participants to the world of supply chain management. Through hands-on experiments and games, they learn key concepts and tackle real-world challenges using analytics. Working in teams, participants develop collaborative and analytical skills while understanding the crucial role of supply chains in everyday life and global commerce. | Industrial Engineering |
| TBD-Arduino | TBD | Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Computer Science Engineering Software Engineering |
