Children enjoy fun-filled day of hands-on activities at UM College of Engineering
A whirlwind of fun — hands-on activities, lunch, games, snacks and hanging out with peers — greeted 18 children who participated in the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the University of Miami College of Engineering (UMCoE) on February 2.
This year, Miami-Dade and Broward county public schools observed the day on February 1, instead of the national observance of April 26, to minimalize disruptions to scheduled testing.
Kids, ranging from second through eighth grades, were greeted in one of the UMCoE active learning classrooms with donuts from Mojo Donuts & Fried Chicken. The children proceeded to build helicopters and paper circuits led by the University of Miami (UM) Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) students. After building, the children enjoyed musical theater activities led by the Broadway Kids Studio program at the Frost School of Music. Participants then enjoyed pizza followed by drone coding demonstrations led by Sebastian Gallo ’20, president of the UMaker student organization. The kids also received an interactive tour of the UM College of Engineering – Johnson & Johnson 3D Printing Center of Excellence Collaborative Laboratory where they received a 3D printed Sebastian the Ibis figure. Then, they took a tour and participated in activities at the Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center. They returned to the McArthur Engineering Building to wrap up their day with popcorn and a movie about Dreaming Big produced by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
“There are so many opportunities to learn more about STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) on campus, and we wanted our children to take advantage of them and to explore how fun and rewarding careers in engineering can be,” says event coordinator Derin Ural, associate dean for student affairs and professor in practice in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. “The goal of the event was for children to leave feeling that engineering was not only a field they were able to pursue, but one that involves careers they would personally enjoy. Organizers also wanted to show the breadth of STEM and its many applications and forms.”
Ural also coordinated the event with Ailen Parera-Ruggiero, office manager for UMCoE; and Julia Chernikov, senior accounting assistant for UMCoE. They worked with representatives from the organizations, as well as Dr. Oona Gonzalez, Frost Prep senior program coordinator; Troy Thompson, director of facilities for UMCoE; Shatha Baydoun, librarian assistant professor; Nat Phensiriphand, library supervisor; and Christina WooChing, assistant director of wellness and recreation.
