New York City middle-schoolers got an inside look at what it takes to build an educational facility during a “Meet-the-Builders” workshop in Long Island City on Thursday.
The City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) in collaboration with the School Construction Authority (SCA) and Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte hosted students from I.S. 392 in the SCA facility for the event, which consisted of a panel discussion a demonstration of scale models of DDC and SCA projects such as the South Jamaica library.
The sixth-graders learned about what skills and educational requirements are needed to become an engineer or architect, and what career paths are available for students in the fields of science, technology, architecture and design.
Afterward, the students got a chance to imagine a classroom of their own design in an interactive building activity.
The event is part of STEAM—a partnership between public school and the DCC to provide educational opportunities to advance underrepresented youth in science-related fields.
“They need to be exposed, because if they don’t understand what these careers are, they won’t pursue them,” said Lillian Llambelis, deputy commissioner of community partnerships and STEAM initiatives in the DDC. She added that there are many jobs open to science and engineering professionals and that it is beneficial for students to have an early focus on these fields.
The program is funded through the Teach To Excel Foundation, which provides grants to fund projects in middle schools located in underserved and low-income communities in Brooklyn.
“The students will have the opportunity to meet role models in the engineering and architecture fields as well as tour different design models from DDC that will help them map out innovative ways to design their own school lab, ultimately setting the stage and pipeline of interest in the STEAM field,” Bichotte said.
