The Frederick Affiliate of the ACE (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) Mentor Program has been named champion at the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT)-ACE national design competition. The Frederick Affiliate championship team received a $3,000 scholarship contribution at the competition held in April.
The Frederick Affiliate of the ACE Mentor Program is made up of more than 50 Frederick area high school students who engage in a 15-week program where students get hands-on experience working alongside industry professionals on projects. Created in 2005, the Frederick Affiliate consists of a unique partnership of local industry specialists, professional organizations, and educational institutions who work together to attract young people to the architecture, engineering, and construction professions.
The project submitted by the Frederick team, Re-Routing Transportation, focused on the growing concern of traffic along I-270 in Maryland. The team addressed the problem by designing an aero-rail train system from Frederick to the Shady Grove Metro Station in Rockville. In Frederick, the team planned a multi-modal building that is a destination center for the community and many types of transportation. The goal of the project was to relieve congestion and commuter traffic along the I-270 corridor.
The Frederick team consisted of nine second-year Frederick area high school students, Melissa Huston, Rachael Martinez, Rosemary Masser, Mark Mifsud, Christina Nguyen, Nixy Osorio, Nolian Papa, Stephen Thai, and Asaph Yeh. ACE mentors Bryan Burke, Michelle Buchek, Marc DeCampo, Steve Ritz, and Kristen Parsley have dedicated their efforts to helping the team achieve this honor.
Three of the team members are enrolled in the school system's Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs of study. Nixy Osorio is in the Computer Assisted Design (CAD) program at the Frederick County Career and Technology Center, and Rosemary Masser and Melissa Huston are in the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Engineering programs at Walkersville High School and Linganore High School, respectively. The Maryland State Department of Education provided incentive funds to Walkersville and Linganore High Schools to implement PLTW.
"What these students have accomplished is very impressive," said Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick, State Superintendent of Schools. "It also demonstrates what happens when rigorous academics are combined with upgraded technical courses in a Career and Technology Education program of study."
"ACE has given me a positive experience that encouraged me to pursue a career in architecture, construction or engineering," said Melissa Huston, a senior who is planning on studying civil engineering at Penn State.
"Working with these young people has been a great experience for me," said Bryan Burke, the team's lead mentor and professional engineer with Loiederman Soltesz Associates. "When they enter the workforce in a few years, they will be bringing power and energy and employers will need to engage them in a meaningful way."
Initiated, coordinated, and judged by the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT), the CIRT-ACE national design competition received ten entries from ACE Affiliates across the country. After the preliminary competition, three national finalists were selected to participate in the final competition at CIRT's spring conference. The Frederick Affiliate of the ACE Mentor Program is sponsored by Bechtel Corporation, Frederick Bechtel Women's Group, FCPS Career and Technology Center, CCBC - TIME, University of Maryland, Loiederman Soltesz Associates, Inc., Trimble Navigation, and Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation.
ABOUT PROJECT LEAD THE WAY
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a national not-for-profit educational organization. Its mission is to create dynamic partnerships with schools to produce an increasing and more diverse group of students to be successful in science, engineering, and biotechnology programs at the four and two year college level.
Maryland has 62 schools in 18 school systems participating in the high school and middle school programs (47 high schools and 15 middle schools). The high school program is a CTE program of study that includes a sequence of four courses which, when combined with college preparatory mathematics and science courses in high school, introduces students to the scope, rigor and discipline of engineering and engineering technology prior to entering college. For more information visit the Career and Technology Education website.