Baltimore City Public Schools STEM Events Recap
Over the last 2 months, WDCSITE has held 2 virtual STEM events for students in Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS). The recordings from these events have been posted on the BCPS YouTube Channel. We have shared them on the WDCSITE channel via a playlist at https://lnkd.in/eDC4RtB. We strongly encourage you to check them out — you never know if students in your life might be interested in learning more about careers in transportation!
BCPS STEM Event, January 13, 2021
On January 13, volunteers from WDCSITE partnered with volunteers from ACEC Maryland and the Coast Guard to provide a virtual STEM event for students at Edmonson Westside High School in Baltimore, MD, focusing on careers in transportation. The event began with a general session for all students, including a Kahoot game that incorporated questions on transportation engineering and the transportation industry in general. From there, students divided into three breakout rooms, with the opportunity to participate in two of the three sessions. The sessions covered the following topics:
- Rules of the Road: Overview of the MUTCD; why it is important to the students’ communities; the updates planned by FHWA; how the students can use it to shape the future of traffic engineering and transform transportation in Baltimore City; and using it as a tool to find potential career opportunities in the transportation industry
- Careers in Transportation: A discussion on the transportation project planning process and various career opportunities available in surface transportation
- Jobs and Careers at the Coast Guard Yard: A panel of professionals who work at the Coast Guard Yard in Southern Baltimore discussed their transportation work, including maritime safety, security, and stewardship. They emphasized opportunities for both enlisted and civilian jobs, including law enforcement, skilled trades, and transportation logistics, as well as opportunities for intern and apprenticeships.
The event ended with a listening session, where students asked questions related to transportation, including career opportunities; transportation issues that present barriers to social needs and future success; and how their teachers and transportation professionals can help them manage those challenges.
The event was recorded by BCPS staff and the recording from this event have been posted on YouTube on the Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) Channel.
BCPS STEM Event, December 2, 2020
On December 2, 2020, Adam Greenstein and Puskar Kar represented ITE on a panel of engineers meeting with high school students at the National Academy Foundation in Baltimore City. They discussed the field of engineering in general, how they got into engineering as a career, why they chose the transportation sector, and what makes work in transportation important and relevant to everyone. A primary focus of this event was to help students better understand potential futures in engineering, as many school students do not learn about engineering until after high school. Puskar and Adam also highlighted opportunities outside of engineering where students can consider careers in transportation, both those involving college education and those involving other paths after high school; examples included maintenance and operations, driver services, policy, and supply chain (including trucking). All representatives on the panel highlighted the importance of non-technical skills in becoming successful in engineering. Feedback from students and teachers was overwhelmingly positive.
The recording from the 12/2/20 event is available on the BCPS YouTube Channel.