Outreach efforts in engineering and applied sciences extend to Buffalo high school

By Peter Murphy

The partnership, the Arcadis Pathway to Engineering Afterschool Program, gives students the opportunity to make informed decisions about college in high school, identify a future goal, and plan for how they will achieve it. According to Christina Escobar, associate director of outreach programs in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, enrolled students receive benefits not normally available to high school students in Buffalo’s inner city.

“Students gain supplemental skills and understanding not typically found in classroom settings,” Escobar says. “They can effectively follow the path to a STEM career, if they choose.”

Staff members and graduate students from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have visited Burgard High School multiple times during the academic year. Graduate students have organized several activities for the high schoolers, including an egg drop and vehicle safety demonstration, and an introduction to forensics and biometrics activity where students dusted for their own fingerprints and learned the science behind fingerprinting.

“We are proud to partner with UB on this program; it is a fantastic opportunity to introduce hands-on experiences in STEM to high school students,” says Brooke Bonkoski, president, Resilience Environment U.S. at Arcadis. “With the participation from the UB engineering students and the dedication of Arcadis, this program will help shape the future of the engineering workforce by providing high school students with valuable skills and opportunities to pursue careers in STEM.”

The Arcadis Pathway to Engineering Afterschool Program is modeled after the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ successful outreach initiative, the National Grid STEM Mentoring Program. During the program, UB students and staff visit Westminster Charter School students in kindergarten to fourth grade, and welcome Westminster students in grades K-8 to UB’s campus once a year. The program exposes young students to college and academia and provides activities that introduce them to STEM concepts.

Acknowledging the success of the Westminster Program, the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences outreach team identified other student populations that could benefit from a similar initiative.

“There was still room for impact with middle and high schoolers,” Escobar says. “This opportunity creates a program for these students that leverages the knowledge and experience our outreach program has built through operating the Westminster Program.”

According to Escobar, the outreach team hopes to use the insights learned from the inaugural year of the program to enhance the program in the future.

“We will see what works and what doesn’t, and how, or if the program could be expanded in future years,” Escobar says. “For example, we could follow the same cohort of students to the end of their high school careers and ensure a path to a university education. Other options could include a program targeted for high school freshmen or a multi-cohort option.”