Hundreds of middle and high school students met Baltimore District engineers at the 2014 STEM Expo at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Oct. 4.
Architect Chris Bowden, a Morgan state alumni, and civil engineer Chaz-Richard Tolbert, who graduated from Alabama A&M, talked to students, parents and teachers at this second annual event.
Representatives and exhibitors from more than 30 government agencies and private firms attended the event that was co-sponsored by Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin. These included computer, technology, research and federal and Maryland government organizations.
Moving from table to table, the hall was noisy as groups of students, with parents and teachers, descended on exhibitor sites to talk about careers and engineering education.
The Baltimore District display featured large photos of projects and people that generated questions about the kinds of engineers needed for these projects. Photos showcased civil and environmental projects that supported communities in Maryland, Pennsylvania, southern New York, northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Military projects in Maryland and Pennsylvania are also depicted.
Leveraging the District's social media capabilities, Cynthia Mitchell, outreach coordinator, posted a real-time photo of the interaction on the District's Facebook site. Also, parents and teachers asked about getting engineers to come to their schools to talk to students about education and careers.
The most intriguing part of the District's display was a disassembled, interlocking, seven piece wooden cube (like a Rubic's cube) that the students had to put back together. Both boys and girls succeeded and received a congratulatory high-five from Chris and Chaz.
"It was interesting to see how the students analyzed the cube and found creative ways to put it back together," said Bowden. "I saw the students more determined than frustrated in doing that," observed Tolbert.
The Baltimore District is always seeking opportunities to connect with students, and volunteers to engage students about engineering education and careers.
As an urban university located in northern Baltimore City, MSU reached out to the schools in their neighboring community and others in a wider area to promote this STEM event.
Related Links:
Baltimore District social media sites
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stories, photos on Army home page
Social Sharing