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April 19, 2016
New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) in Partnership with Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and Immigrant Social Services (ISS) Presents Inaugural Young Engineers Showcase of 2016 at P.S. 126 in Chinatown
Contact:
Shavone Williams
Public Information Officer
718-391-1583
Dan Leibel
Junior Public Information Officer
718-391-1251
Long Island City, NY—New York City Department of Design and Construction’s (DDC) STEAM initiative hosted the Young Engineers Program showcase on Friday, April 15, at P.S. 126 – Jacob A. Riis/ Manhattan Academy of Technology. Students completed the “Engineering is Elementary: Don’t Runoff” curriculum, created by the Museum of Science in Boston, which highlights environmentally sustainable design, the importance of circumventing pollution, and methods to prevent runoff from reaching natural sources of water in the city. City Councilmember Margaret Chin attended the showcase and gave words of encouragement to the students that participated in the program.
DDC’s Young Engineers Program exposes underrepresented youth to fields and professions related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Architecture/Art and Math (STEAM). The pilot program was launched in March of 2015 through the LeAp afterschool program at MS 22 Jordan L. Mott, a renewal school where 100% of students qualify for free lunch, 21% are special education students and 21% are English language learners. DDC’s STEAM initiative has worked with six schools since then, in installments of six-week courses, and directly impacted over 175 students across Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx. The program is geared towards 6th and 7th graders.
“In support of Mayor de Blasio’s vision for quality education, we are proud of the ability of our STEAM initiative to present students with a knowledge base outside of what they might learn in the typical school day,” said Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Design and Construction. “There is tremendous opportunity to launch a career in the fields of engineering and architecture and it pleases me to be able to give this perspective to the students that participate in our classes.”
This installment of the Young Engineers Program was unique due to the multiple languages, including Chinese, French, Spanish and English, that the course incorporated - stressing a global need for engineers, architects and construction professionals.
“The Young Engineers Program is important because it gives equal opportunity to students in communities where they might not be exposed to architecture, engineering and construction – all fields that can provide jobs down the road and are essential to the way New York City functions,” said Lee Llambelis, DDC’s Deputy Commissioner of Community Partnerships and STEAM Initiatives. “Each time we work with students in the program it’s a chance to prepare our young leaders for future career paths in math and science.”
"This program teaches the students life skills such as leadership and teamwork" said GeorgeLeung, Director of Youth Services at Immigrant Social Services.
“DYCD is proud to continue this inter-agency collaboration with DDC and our community partners in bringing the exciting world of engineering to classrooms across New York City,” said DYCD Commissioner Bill Chong. “This great program exposes our young people to the highdemand STEAM subjects, giving them hands-on opportunities. I congratulate the young engineers at PS 126, whose exposure to the jobs of the future builds on the growing momentum of Science, Technology, Engineering, Architecture/Arts and Mathematics activities in afterschool.”
About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s lenses of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, new or upgraded roadways, sewers, water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $10 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative, and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to city projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.