We present a unique opportunity to provide technical education to our youth...

The Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy (DPEA) was launched in 2002 and is one of the most advanced engineering and science programs in California. The four-year integrated course of study at Dos Pueblos High School offers classes in physics, computer science and engineering design. The hands-on curriculum culminates in the construction of a robot during the senior year, which competes in the national FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program. The combination of academics and technical innovation gives DPEA students a mastery of the skills necessary to enter the workforce and pursue post-secondary education.

All students from the Santa Barbara area are eligible to apply to the DPEA. The program presently accepts 32 new students (as freshmen) per year; current students come from Montecito, downtown Santa Barbara, the Mesa and Goleta. Almost half of the enrolled students are women, surpassing the national averages for women in science and engineering.

The dynamic program and the success of its graduates have increased demand for entrance. The DPEA now turns away as many deserving students as it enrolls, due to a lack of space and facilities. We want to expand this opportunity and improve the DPEA educational experience.

To this end, the DPEA and the Santa Barbara High School District have been awarded a $3 million matching grant from the State of California towards the construction of a 12,000 square-foot facility on the Dos Pueblos High School campus. This building will have state-of-the-art machinery and instrumentation, with space for classes, laboratories, engineering shops, and offices. The DPEA will then admit 96 new students per year, tripling its total enrollment to 384 students. The Santa Barbara School District will staff the DPEA to the level needed to meet these new enrollments, so that the DPEA can accomplish its goal of providing an education that offers academic coursework with an entrepreneurial spirit to many more students.

The DPEA must secure pledges for at least $3 million by the Spring of 2009 in order to initiate construction of the $6 million facility. Donations beyond the facility cost will support DPEA operating expenses. Most pledges will be due in 2009.

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