Twenty-one high school students from Milwaukee Public Schools proudly displayed the plaza enhancements they completed at the Beerline Pavilion in the Riverwest neighborhood in June.
In its third year, this design and build “placemaking” camp is a collaboration among the UWM College of Engineering & Applied Science, Community Design Solutions (CDS) in the UWM School of Architecture & Urban Planning, and the Riverworks Development Corporation. Participating students get to explore various building careers while still in high school.
The students’ work expanded a previous year’s collaboration to create a plaza along the Beerline Trail that could be used as a place for the community to gather.
Elizabeth Young, a junior in civil engineering, and Danya Almoghrabi, a recent master’s graduate of architecture, joined the team of mentors, teaching MPS students such marketable skills as woodworking, landscaping, welding and storm water control strategies.
“Just think of what you can do now, after the work you’ve done in this camp,” Brett Peters, dean of the College of Engineering & Applied Science, told the gathering at the June 14 reveal event. “As you plan for your careers, we want to continue our engagement with you.”
The camp gives students a wider view of what engineers and architects do, said Chris Beimborn, STEM-outreach specialist for the College of Engineering & Applied Science.
“I feel most proud about the way the students collaborate and support each other,” Beimborn said. “I hope that they will have this group of like-minded peers as a source of motivation going forward.”
“Aside from just learning skills, students gain a sense of power and efficacy in this camp,” said Krisann Rehbein, director of CDS. “Working collaboratively and using the wisdom and skills they already have to make our city a little bit better is an incredible accomplishment.”
Other partners included the Milwaukee Public Schools Foundation and the Fund for Diversity in Tech Education at UWM, a gift from UWM engineering alumnus Satya Nadella (’90 MS computer science) and Anu Nadella.
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