Civil engineering students introduce local youth to engineering

PHOTO RELEASE (Sept. 14, 2012) - Wayne State University civil engineering students introduced basic engineering concepts to area youth at the Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development (LA SED) Youth Center in southwest Detroit on Aug. 16. The community outreach event brought together 35 students, ages 7-13, and eight mentors, ages 15-18, with members of the WSU chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The students and mentors participated in various engineering activities led by representatives from the ASCE concrete canoe and steel bridge teams. One activity involved building towers out of uncooked spaghetti noodles and marshmallows. Through trial and error, the students discovered a triangular structure would provide the best support.

"I loved seeing how creative and focused the kids were while they were building their towers," said Nicole Ball, ASCE president, civil engineering junior and event organizer. "Each group had a unique approach to the challenge and exhibited great team work and communication throughout the process, just like real engineers."

More photographs of the visit are available on the college's Flickr site.

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Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 31,000 students. For more information about engineering at Wayne State University, visit engineering.wayne.edu.