Student Pathways to Access, Readiness, and Knowledge (SPARK)

Student Pathways to Access, Readiness, and Knowledge (SPARK) in engineering is an immersive, Saturday-based engineering exploration program developed and directed by FIU’s Center for Development, Support, and Success in Engineering and Computing (CDSSEC) at Florida International University’s (FIU) College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). Open to students across Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, the program introduces participants to hands-on experiences in VEX robotics, coding, engineering fundamentals, and physics.

Running for 14 weeks during both the fall and spring semesters, SPARK delivers structured, age-appropriate sessions every Saturday. Each session is led by experienced facilitators and supported by FIU student mentors who help guide students through interactive engineering challenges, experimentation, and problem-solving activities.  The projects are inspired by the various engineering fields offered by CEC including but not limited to mechanical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering and computer science.

The program is intentionally designed to ignite curiosity, inspire creativity, and build confidence—empowering students to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pathways early in their academic journey. Additionally, the program aims to expose participants to an engineering college environment and build their engineering identity.

To ensure a personalized community of practice environment, SPARK offers two focused tracks with a maximum of 20 students per group:

• SPARK Cubs for grades 3–5
• SPARK Junior Panthers for grades 6–8

Spring 2026 hours are 9am-12pm on scheduled Saturdays

We are currently receiving applications for Spring 2026 semester.