Ever since Kaustubh Lole (‘25) and Neil Pal (’25) were young, they had a passion for engineering. Their journey started with playing with Legos, then participating in robotic clubs in middle school, to being accepted into AV Bots here at Amador. Wanting to share their passion with others, Lole and Pal created the Society of Engineering to educate younger ages about engineering.

“I created the Society of Engineering in order to increase awareness about engineering to middle schoolers and elementary schoolers so that they have an idea coming into high school about what they might want to do in the future,” said Lole. 

Every Friday, Lole and Pal gather with middle and elementary schoolers to educate them about different types of engineering. 

“For example, the one that we’re doing right now is civil engineering. So a couple of weeks back, we taught the basics of civil engineering through a presentation, and now the students are working on a project to build a bridge with popsicle sticks, and that’s kind of how the structure is,” said Lole. 

A team effort

Lole and Pal had a passion to spread awareness about engineering, but they knew they couldn’t do it alone. They teamed up with other officers to get help with presentations, event planning, and logistics.

“Society of Engineering has definitely increased my enjoyment of engineering because it lets me see how other people, younger audiences being introduced to engineering, feel and think about it. It also helps me get new perspectives on some things because sometimes you see ideas that you usually wouldn’t see in a classroom with your age level,” said Pal. 

One upcoming event that this society has planned is their Society of Engineering Summer Summit. This has been in the works for over 1.5 months and aims to connect curious students with interactive projects.

“Middle schoolers and elementary schoolers will come together for a couple of days, and we’re going to do some projects, presentations, and some fun competitions to kind of increase awareness and educate,” said Lole. 

Dreaming big

One important factor in these events is having the right leadership team. The team for the Society of Engineering is divided into drafting, finance, and logistics. In addition to that, there is a separate team for officers who lead the weekly meetings.  

“This organization has improved my communication skills because it requires me to speak out more than I normally would in a classroom environment. It also helps with leadership skills because I have to be there for all the people attending our meetings to make sure they get their work done. It’s my job to make sure they don’t go off task and so we can actually follow through with the goal of our Society of Engineering,” said Pal. 

Lole and Pal plan to pursue some form of engineering in the future. For now, the duo and their team continue to motivate and inspire younger audiences who are interested in engineering.

“The only restriction is that you can’t really be too young. Otherwise, you might not be able to learn or compete in the projects at the same skill level as some of the older kids. But other than that, anyone is free to join. It’s open to anyone who wants to learn and who is willing to have some fun,” said Lole.