Conference Agenda

The Telematics Engineering program at the Universidad de La Frontera faced a critical decline in applications following the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching only 3 applicants in 2021 for 15 available slots. This exposed a broader structural issue: limited awareness of STEM fields among high school students in the Araucanía region, one of Chile’s most socioeconomically vulnerable areas.

In response, the program developed the “IoT Applications Workshop,” an early engagement initiative targeting 11th and 12th grade students. The program combines a four-session online theoretical module with an eight-session in-person practical module, where selected students build low-cost IoT prototypes using microcontrollers, sensors, and block-based programming tools. It also incorporates peer learning through undergraduate tutors and includes vocational guidance and alumni talks.

The initiative has demonstrated significant impact. By the 2026 admission cycle, applications increased substantially, with 24 enrollments and 27 students on the waiting list. Notably, over 70% of enrolled Telematics students participated in the workshop. Additionally, 22 out of 26 workshop participants who applied to engineering programs successfully enrolled. This growth has improved admission scores, as well as retention and academic performance.

The program emphasizes equity through open regional access, hybrid delivery, and special admission pathways based on merit and engagement. With a cost below USD 1,000 per semester, it is highly cost-effective, scalable, and replicable. Its modular design and publicly available materials further support its sustainability and broader educational impact.

Bootcamp STEM UC is a free intensive training initiative for K–12 teachers developed by the School of Engineering at the UC-Chile. The program takes place during school holidays and offers hands-on workshops on emerging topics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), together with guidance for their pedagogical implementation in the classroom.

The initiative primarily targets teachers working in public or publicly funded schools, aiming to broaden access to STEM careers for students traditionally underrepresented in these fields. In Chile, access to selective programs such as engineering depends not only on academic performance but also on structural factors including cultural capital, geographic location, and family expectations. In this context, teachers play a key role in shaping students’ educational aspirations, particularly among women, migrants, rural students, and first-generation higher education students.

The Bootcamp strengthens teachers’ STEM knowledge, increases their pedagogical self-efficacy, and fosters direct connections with the university. These interactions encourage classroom innovation and help reduce perceptions of engineering and selective universities as distant or elitist spaces.

Since its first edition in 2022, with 55 participants, the program has grown steadily. By 2026, participation reached 162 teachers and expanded territorially to the Villarrica Campus in southern Chile. Considering that each teacher impacts an average of 100 students per year, the initiative indirectly reaches about 30,000 school students annually.

Bootcamp STEM UC aligns with the LACCEI K–12 challenge by working with teachers as multipliers of impact and establishing a scalable, sustainable, and replicable model of university-school collaboration in Latam.

This initiative presents a scalable model for international engineering outreach designed to bridge the gap between U.S. higher education and K-12 schools in Latin America. The core innovation lies in a "Virtual-First" Hybrid Mentorship Structure, replacing high-cost in-person coaching with a transnational digital loop between the University of Florida and Colegio De La Salle in the Dominican Republic.

The methodology integrates Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a "Research Partner," moving beyond passive information retrieval. Students utilized Large Language Models (LLMs) to ideate mechanical linkages, debug control logic, and optimize autonomous navigation. This approach was bolstered by the implementation of Embedded Machine Learning and computer vision for the development of FirevolX, a fire-detection robot. The efficacy of this model was validated at the 2025 World Robot Olympiad in Singapore, where a rookie team achieved an 18th-place global ranking.

The project’s second phase demonstrates exponential scalability. Following the initial success, student interest increased by 500%, expanding the program from one to six teams for the 2026 season. This growth is sustained through a Peer-to-Peer framework and hybrid validation involving on-site "engineering clinics" and teacher-training workshops. This initiative demonstrates that K-12 engineering excellence in developing nations is not restricted by the lack of localized physical expertise, but is instead enabled by a structured collaborative ecosystem. The project serves as a strategic blueprint for democratizing engineering education, proving that through transnational alliances and AI-integrated workflows, secondary students can master and compete under global industry standards directly from their home communities.

The Instituto Tecnológico de Puebla (ITP), a public institution belonging to the Tecnológico Nacional de México, has consolidated for more than three decades an institutional model of scientific outreach aimed at fostering early interest in engineering careers. Since the early 1990s, ITP has organized an annual science and technology event coordinated by the Department of Basic Sciences. This initiative later became integrated into the national strategy for science outreach and is currently part of the State Knowledge Days promoted by the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation.

Over time, this event has evolved into a regional space for interaction among basic education, upper-secondary education, and higher education, strengthening the K-12–university connection through project-based learning experiences, scientific demonstrations, specialized workshops, and conferences delivered by academics and professionals from industry.

The 2025 edition, dedicated to the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, gathered 9,711 students from different educational levels. During the event, 46 demonstration projects in basic sciences were presented, along with 12 keynote lectures, 28 institutional conferences, and 6 specialized workshops involving experts from scientific institutions, universities, and technology companies.

The results show that this model strengthens the training of ITP engineering students by engaging them in science communication processes while motivating children and young people to consider engineering as a future professional pathway from early stages of their education.

Abstract
In Latin America, one of the main challenges for technological development is the limited vocational orientation of students toward engineering and applied sciences at the pre-university level. To address this issue, the Faculty of Engineering at the Universidad Tecnológica de Honduras (UTH) has developed a comprehensive K–12 outreach model that integrates primary, secondary, and higher education to foster early interest in STEM fields.

Over the past 19 years, this initiative has implemented a multidimensional strategy that includes engineering congresses, national science and technology fairs, academic competitions (Team Challenge), free technological workshops, and mathematics and robotics olympiads. These activities provide students with early exposure to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, programming, Internet of Things, and mechatronics, promoting critical thinking, creativity, and innovation.

The program impacts more than 15,000 students annually across Honduras. Additionally, the integration of adaptive learning platforms based on artificial intelligence has contributed to reducing failure and dropout rates in mathematics from 12% to approximately 5%.

Results show a significant increase in engineering enrollment, growing from approximately 1,500 students in 2007 to more than 7,500 in 2026. This model represents a scalable and replicable strategy for strengthening STEM education and developing human capital in emerging economies.

Eco-Footprints at School is a K–12 engineering outreach initiative developed by the Universidad Católica de Temuco in partnership with Complejo Educacional La Granja, an urban-rural public school in Vilcún, Chile. The program introduced 8th-grade students to engineering through a hands-on sequence focused on sustainable construction, territorial identity, and school-based problem solving. Its core challenge was to co-design and build ecological pavers using cement reinforced with locally available quila fibers, connecting environmental education with real engineering practice.

The initiative included school workshops, a university laboratory visit, experimental testing, collaborative construction, and a final public presentation. A distinctive feature was the active participation of senior engineering students as volunteers, who supported the workshops as mentors, facilitators, and role models. Their involvement strengthened the project’s bidirectional approach: while school students gained early exposure to engineering, university students developed community-engaged learning, science communication, and socially grounded professional skills. Teachers and parents also played an important role by accompanying activities, encouraging participation, and reinforcing the connection between school, family, and university.

The project culminated in the installation of a commemorative ecological space at the school, built with the students’ pavers and complemented by low-water-demand plants and environmental signage. The experience was later showcased at the 3rd Multidisciplinary Engineering Meeting, where school students presented their work in a scientific outreach setting. Beyond the physical intervention, Eco-Footprints at School fostered scientific curiosity, territorial belonging, and meaningful school-university collaboration, showing how place-based engineering can open early STEM pathways for rural school students.

A girl walks into a cybersecurity camp unsure if she belongs; five days later, she confidently explains how to defend a system. This transformation is the foundation of Ladies Can Code, an early-intervention initiative that engages middle school girls, particularly those from underrepresented communities, in cybersecurity.

The program challenges traditional STEM outreach by replacing lecture-based approaches with a creative, immersive model that blends cybersecurity fundamentals with storytelling, design thinking, and hands-on problem solving. Over 30 instructional hours, participants explore key concepts such as confidentiality, integrity, availability, and adversarial thinking through accessible activities like “crypto puzzles,” network security, and introductory Python. This approach reduces cognitive barriers while strengthening confidence, identity, and a sense of belonging in STEM.

Since its launch in 2016, Ladies Can Code has reached over 200 girls, with more than 80% reporting positive experiences and over half expressing increased interest in STEM careers. The program has evolved into a leadership pipeline, where returning participants mentor new cohorts, creating a sustainable peer-learning ecosystem.

Designed for scalability, the model relies on a modular curriculum, low-cost implementation, and a collaborative network of faculty, students, and community partners. Findings demonstrate that early, intentional, and inclusive exposure not only builds technical skills but reshapes how girls see themselves in engineering.

Ladies Can Code shows that when engagement starts early and is designed with purpose, the future workforce becomes more diverse, confident, and inclusive.

Pre-Engineering UMAG aims to bring second-, third-, and fourth-year high school students from the city of Punta Arenas closer to the university experience at the Faculty of Engineering. Through educational activities that complement their school education, the program seeks to spark interest in the engineering programs offered by the Faculty, encouraging regional students to enroll at the University of Magallanes. Its purpose is to attract and retain local academic talent, thereby contributing to regional development through the formation of human capital with a strong sense of identity and regional commitment.

This paper presents the implementation of an educational robotics course at the Santa María Reina Private School in Chiclayo, Peru, designed to provide early engineering education to students in preschool, elementary, and secondary school. Now in its thirteenth year, this initiative serves approximately 1,350 female students, promoting the development of STEM skills through hands-on learning experiences. The pedagogical approach is based on project-based learning, where students identify problems in their environment, design technological solutions, build prototypes, program systems, and evaluate their results, fostering innovation, logical thinking, and collaborative work.
During the training process, digital tools such as Lego Digital Designer are used for preliminary modeling of solutions, as well as robotics kits like Wedo 2.0 and EV3, which integrate sensors and motors. Additionally, the use of Arduino Uno has been incorporated at the secondary level, strengthening learning in electronics and automation. The institutional robotics fair serves as the primary venue for socialization and evaluation, where projects are progressively selected and assessed by university judges, strengthening the link with higher education.

The program has demonstrated its sustainability by continuing for thirteen years, adapting to new circumstances—such as online learning during the pandemic—and incorporating new technologies. This experience makes a significant contribution to the empowerment of women in technology and to the training of future female engineering professionals.