Using only old copies of Concordiensis and some tape, the 40 Schenectady High School juniors who gathered at Old Chapel last Thursday scrambled to erect tall towers of newsprint. Their project, which had to be completed in 15 minutes, was part of a presentation by Union’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.
The visiting students, all members of their high school’s Math, Science and Technology House, also heard from Union’s Biology Club, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Physics Students and the Chemistry Club.
The event was part of the Science and Technology Entry Program’s Day of Service activities.
“For the past three years we’ve increased awareness of STEP, and science, math, engineering and technology professions, by going to local schools,” said Angela Tatem, Kenney Community Center Director.“This is the first year we’ve invited students to campus for this event.”
Kelly Pearson ’11, a member of the Society of Women Engineers, was happy to share her knowledge with the students.
“This will introduce them to what we do here at Union and maybe spark their interest in engineering,” Pearson said. “Engineering isn’t that strong in a lot of high schools, so this might give them a useful perspective on the subject.”
While Aaron Paige, a Schenectady High junior, admitted he was more into computers than engineering, he enjoyed hearing from the different clubs, touring campus and learning about the college admissions process from Director of Multicultural Recruitment James Luciano.
“It’s cool here,” Paige said. “I like the diversity of programs, and it’s one of the nicest colleges I’ve seen.”