LONG BEACH, CA—Ship & Shore Environmental Inc, a leading US pollution abatement firm, has launched an Engineering Mentorship Program for local high school, undergrad and graduate students interested in pursuing careers in the engineering, environmental or other STEM-related fields. The program, which kicked off in early February 2019 and will continue through the year, aims to raise environmental awareness, educate youth about the importance of pollution control technologies, as well as offer opportunities to gain real world and practical experience.
“Educating the youth of today helps shape the environment of tomorrow. Mentoring our youth and sharing best practices with local academia is important to us. By opening our doors to leading local academic institutions like UC Irvine, Cal Poly Pomona and local high schools, we are facilitating a mutual mentorship scenario. Students and faculty should consider Ship & Shore a second home, and a place where they can learn from top engineers how we design, engineer and fabricate the latest pollution abatement technology to help clients reduce their carbon footprint,” said Anoosheh Oskouian, CEO of Ship & Shore Environmental.
The Engineering Mentorship Program includes scheduled tours of the Ship & Shore fabrication facility, an inside look at current pollution abatement equipment, mini engineering courses on site, technical sessions and opportunities for internships.
“I teach a course on air pollution at Cal Poly Pomona in which students learn about the formation of pollutants and control strategies. The highlight of the course is a field trip to Ship & Shore Environmental where students can see air pollution control equipment up close, helping reinforce concepts learned in the classroom. During the last visit, students also had an opportunity to speak with highly experienced engineers, including the VP of Engineering John Von Bargen, who emphasized the importance of integrity and loving your work, and shared examples of creative solutions to real-world air pollution problems,” said Paul Nissenson, an engineering professor at Cal Poly Pomona.
Many Ship & Shore engineers who graduated from local universities have given lectures at their alma mater. “Ship & Shore generously sent one of their mechanical engineers to Cal Poly Pomona to be a guest speaker for my class. They discussed first-hand experience of being an air pollution control engineer, giving students a better idea of what the industry is like,” said Paul.
Last year, Ship & Shore joined forces with UC Irvine to exchange best practices, collaborate on research and network at professional engagements. In addition, Ship & Shore CEO Anoosheh Oskouian became a member of UC Irvine’s School of Physical Sciences Leadership Council as well as UCI’s Executive Roundtable, a gateway to mutually beneficial cooperation and knowledge transfer between the business community and the university. Recently, Ship & Shore brought on board a number of graduates from the University of Southern California‘s engineering department to bring company innovations to fruition.