Endeavour Academy is an Engineering Science Course Sequence taught at the high school level that bridges the gap between math and science by giving them both physical meaning and career relevance.  It began in the 1995/1996 school year and has evolved to now offer a rich curricular pathway consisting of engineering and traditional science, which increases the numbers of well-qualified math, science and engineering bound students.  The three yearlong courses are a shift from traditional teaching methods and combine physical science, technology, and engineering design to form a new hands-on, rigorous curriculum that satisfies the demanding lab-science entrance requirements of the University of California and the courses are on record at UC admissions offices.

The Endeavour Academy teaches hands-on physical science, mechanics, electronics, computers, and engineering design, as well as further developing mathematical skills learned in other classes.  Engineering is Applied Science and Applied Mathematics! Endeavour Academy is designed to be your best preparation for a career in engineering fields such as, mechanical, civil, materials, electrical, aerospace, industrial, manufacturing, and computer engineering, as well as, many new fields that combine these disciplines with basic science and mathematical modeling.  These disciplines, and others you may be interested in, use applied science and technology along with engineering design and mathematics in accomplishing an extremely wide range of jobs in many different industries!

The Endeavour Academy lab has a computer for every student networked together allowing for computer delivered instruction, simulations, lab data acquisition, software application training, multimedia presentations and programming lessons.  The lab has been developed to provide integrated science demonstrations, hands-on construction and electronic project work, as well as traditional physics labs using state of the art computer- based data acquisition.  Courses for each grade contain many physics and technology subject areas presented in a build-up fashion in order to achieve articulation among grade levels.  Primary topics are studied again each year at increasing levels of difficulty and with grade-appropriate math content.  Hands-on projects are also sequenced through the four years of the program to match the developing ability of the students.  Projects require students to work in teams and to develop documentation and professional communication skills.  The science subject areas include physics, principles of matter, astronomy, mechanics, materials and thermal sciences.  The technology areas include a broad range of themes: electronics, computers, sensors/data acquisition, machines, robotics, communications, spacecraft, rockets, aircraft, materials/structures and design of new products.
The Endeavour Academy staff arranges internship jobs for top performing students after school at high technology companies in the local area that can lead directly to careers. The Academy holds many special events throughout the year, including: field trips, planetarium shows, star parties, design shows and presentations, and joint project work with university engineering students.  The Endeavour Academy offers a Saturday program for elementary and middle school students called Youth Discovery Day Seminars.  These seminars change content throughout the year to mirror the activity of the high school program, and are used to help raise money to finance hi-tech consumables of the high school program and to create a pathway for younger students in elementary and middle school.  Local university engineering students are involved in the preparation and delivery of these lesson blocks.  We also use this Saturday program as a training ground for district elementary and middle school teachers.  Following the teachers' exposure to our new curriculum on a Saturday, they are paired with a university engineering student for implementation of the block of instruction in their classroom.  High school students satisfy their community service requirements by helping at these and other Endeavour Academy community programs and events.
Three student areas of capability that we emphasize equally as we provide leadership to students in developing skill sets for their future are:

Conceptual Understanding: Students understand and in many cases can verbalize the broader "engineering science" (applied nature) of the math and science topics covered.  They are getting the "Big Picture"!  Students are getting the "feeling" for first principles in physics, math and technology, and can verbalize them.

Problem Solving: We teach math as necessary within our courses.  We teach good problem solving organization and give students in-class work (including Warm-up problems) and homework to develop their problem solving skill.  We form a bridge between their math classes and our classes.  Student performance increases in both.

Engineering Project Skills: Students learn the design process of industry and work individually and in teams to build things using tools and classroom instruction.  They learn to give professional quality oral presentations on their project work.  They develop computer skills in MS office products, programming, and use of some high-end engineering software tools.  Additional hands-on opportunities go beyond this primary Engineering Project Skills experience to motivate and engage students and to provide enough lab work to support learning and lab-science status of our courses.  Multi-media learning experiences also provide engaging learning experience and build student capability.

Key to the success of the Endeavour Academy is the use of industry-experienced, academically highly qualified instructors with exemplary teaching experience.  The instructor serves as program manager in addition to high school teacher.  The instructor from his or her background emphasizes connections of the lessons to the student's future in the workforce.  Students are counseled and motivated in our courses.  We teach with an entrepreneurial mindset and an outward enthusiasm for the advantages that we are giving our students.  We lead them to strive for success.

If you have any questions, or would like to visit one of the Endeavour Academy sites, please contact Dr. Avila at

(805) 473-4368.