SSOE Group to Host 31 High School Students during Annual “Engineer for a Day” Program
TOLEDO, Ohio, February 14, 2020 – SSOE Group (www.ssoe.com), a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, will host 31 students from local area high schools; Tecumseh, Dundee, and Ida, as part of Engineers Week. Focused on promoting entry into the engineering profession, Engineers Week takes place February 17 – 21, 2020 in locations across the country. Engineers Week is a way to increasing the understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers and helps address the shortage of talent in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers by increasing public dialogue about the need for engineers and other STEM professionals.
Visiting students will get hands-on experience from a team of engineers and technical experts when they spend part of their day at SSOE’s world headquarters in Toledo, Ohio for the “Engineer for a Day” program. The program will be held on Tuesday, February 18th from 12:30 PM until 3:30 PM. Students will attend a luncheon at The University of Toledo College of Engineering before meeting at SSOE. While at SSOE, they will have the opportunity to participate in team building activities, gain insight into the different engineering disciplines, and learn what it takes to become an engineer—and potentially a future employee of SSOE.
First, the students will hear opening remarks from President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Vince DiPofi, PE. The program will then begin with an overview of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), learning the important role of technology, presented by Lauren Collier, Department Manager, VDC Global Initiatives. After the overview, students will participate in a LEGO exercise, teaching them the value of VDC. The activity will simulate traditional building in a 2D model and then be repeated in a 3D model using virtual reality as a tool. This will help the students visualize the project more accurately, which results in reduced errors and time savings. Next, Mark Smith, Data / Fire / Security Section Manager, will lead a demonstration on electrical engineering titled “Let’s Build a Motor”, which will expose students to the motor effect and electromagnetism. The day will conclude with “Construct a Building Frame” led by Kyle Bosworth, PE, Structural Engineer. Using household items, students will be split into groups and given structural guidelines. They will test their structures at the end to see who constructed the most stable structure with a faux seismic test.
During the program, students will also learn about SSOE’s Student Co-op / Internship Program. This program provides college students with resume building experience, a competitive wage, and college credits. Over the past 3 years, SSOE has hired more than 175 students in our Student Co-op / Internship Program for full-time positions at our 20+ offices. In addition, SSOE has been named a “Great Workplace” by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work® for 4 consecutive years.