MOSES LAKE - Students who may want to attend Big Bend Community College for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes are being invited to two workshops in late August.

The STEM Summer Institutes are Aug. 22 and 23 for high school students and Aug. 29 and 30 for current and prospective STEM students from the college. The institute is free.

Participants will be able to talk to engineers from local businesses, including Takata, Katana Summit and Genie Industries, see a demonstration and tour the Genie facility.

The agenda also includes workshops on product design and implementation, thermo insulation, tower design and a vehicle skid test, among others.

The workshops are part of the college's expansion of its STEM program, which is fueled by a $4.4 million, five-year grant from the U.S. government. The idea is to prepare more engineering and technical students, and to establish a network of central and eastern Washington colleges that will allow students to transfer between institutions.

"We keep hearing from employers they are looking for people with a passion for engineering," said Andre Guzman, the program director.

The college's Math-Science building is being remodeled to include an $800,000, 8,700-square-foot STEM center.

The new space will include math labs, a digital lab, CAD (computer-aided drawing) lab, tutoring center and rooms for STEM activities. The chemistry lab is being improved as well.

Big Bend also is eligible for a $260,000 endowment, with the college raising a matching $260,000 locally. "We don't want to leave any of the federal matching money on the table. The BBCC Foundation has made this one of its goals," Guzman said.

Professors have discovered inadequate preparation in math is the biggest barrier to students completing a STEM degree. "Math is the bottleneck for students pursuing a STEM career," said Tyler Wallace, the program's math specialist.

According to a press release issued by the college, more than 90 percent of new Big Bend students require some remedial math instruction, and about 80 percent of students fail to complete the elementary math sequence in one year. The STEM math lab will have one instructor and four tutors.

Math might have tripped up C.W. Forrest, of Soap Lake, who registered for pre-engineering courses for the fall semester. Forrest donated a car he made for the inaugural Soap Box Derby in Soap Lake.

He designed and built the car, making modifications and improvements along the way.

A BBCC counselor remarked that Forrest should think about an engineering career, but Forrest said he would have trouble with the math. College employees inspecting the rig told Forrest he could do the math.

People who want more information or to register for the workshops can contact Rafael Villalobos, 509-793-2198.