Ready, set, race! It was smooth sailing this past April at the annual Torrance Unified School District (TUSD) Cardboard Regatta. Torrance Refinery was the sole sponsor of the event for the fifth year in a row. This event is one of Torrance Refinery’s signature community programs, and a favorite of our women employee volunteers. The event drew record participation from Torrance schools, including all eight middle schools and all but one high school. Over 240 middle and high school girls competed in the STEM-centric event.
Working in teams, the girls were challenged with creating a water-worthy vessel out of cardboard and duct tape to float one length of the Torrance Aquatic Center pool. Volunteers from the Refinery and near business neighbor MOOG, Inc. mentored students on engineering principles as they designed and built their water-bound vessels. The victors of the competition were Jefferson Middle School and North Torrance High!
Torrance Refinery’s Health, Safety and Environmental Manager Valerie Tse delivered the keynote address, and spoke about why she decided to become an engineer, sharing her educational and professional experiences with the girls. Torrance Refinery has a record number of women in leadership, and in science and engineering roles, including its trailblazing Refinery General Manager who is the first in PBF Energy’s history.