MSD students learn about engineering, computing during Career Day

Trine University faculty and students introduced third- through fifth-graders from the Metropolitan School District of Steuben County to multiple engineering and computing fields during MSD’s Career Day on May 20.

Wendy Yagodinski, chair of Trine’s Department of Computer Science and Information Technology, Jeremy Goossens, director of esports, Gary Greene, Ph.D., chair of the Reiners Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Amanda Malefyt, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering, along with students from Trine’s Franks School of Education, interacted with more than 500 MSD students at the event.

“Wendy has been doing quite a few outreach visits related to virtual reality and extended reality with Carlin Park Elementary School,” said Malefyt. “They reached out to her to see if she wanted to participate in the Career Day.”

“We then decided to create a booth that provided a more well-rounded view of the programs we offer within the Allen School of Engineering and Computing at Trine to showcase the variety of activities and careers engineering and computing can encompass.”

Students were able to use a Microsoft HoloLens mixed reality headset to construct augmented reality play spaces. Third-graders made slime, fourth-graders constructed airplane designs and tested flight distance and time, and fifth-graders built foamboard truss bridges.

Supplies were provided through a Lilly Endowment grant to Trine’s Pre-College Outreach and Engagement.