'Mission Possible' Program Mentors Junior High School Students For Engineering Careers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Employees of consumer-products giant Procter & Gamble have teamed up with junior high school students in Missouri for an after-school mentoring program focused on engineering activities.

Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students at Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School meet with P&G employees about seven times a school year to be part of Mission Possible.

"As engineers at Proctor & Gamble, we think it is important to give back to the community," says Christine Lin, a pros engineer for Proctor & Gamble and one of the Mission Possible team coordinators.

Mission Possible is supported by P&G to foster a mentoring environment to help students focus on the first steps of career planning. The program allows students who are interested in engineering to test their creativity with various projects.

"I think that the students are excited to see us every month. We always bring new and fun projects every month from an egg drop, parachutes, to even launching bottle rockets," Lin tells CBS affiliate KFVS.

During a recent session, students learned about pneumatics, engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air. To demonstrate it, student used Popsicle sticks and syringes and a tube system to lift pieces of candy.

"The Mission Possible team meets every third Thursday of the month. This Thursday we are building a pneumatic system. It's essentially using two syringes that will lift candy. Super fun, super easy," Lin says.

Proctor & Gamble employees are hands-on with the projects, which are designed to promote STEM education.

"It's a nice way to spend time after school and to be involved in the STEM community," Lin adds.

Students can apply for the program in fifth grade. Those who take part for all three years and want to pursue engineering in higher education are also eligible for a scholarship from P&G, the Southeast Missourian reports.