News Byte: Engineers and Computer Scientists for a Day

Pictured: Brandon Mendez, a graduate student in the mechanical engineering program, meets with students from Idle Hour Elementary School.

During a recent elementary school visit to the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC), seven students from NYIT College of Engineering and Computing Sciences helped children become computer scientists and engineers for a day.

The New York Tech students joined Michael Nizich, Ph.D., ETIC director, in leading fifth-graders from Idle Hour Elementary School in Oakdale, N.Y., in hands-on STEM activities that introduced them to emerging technologies and strategic problem-solving. The college students helped children draw up ideas to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and then assisted the fifth-graders in prototyping their concepts using pipe cleaners, Legos, and erector sets. New York Tech students also demonstrated and helped the children to experiment with technology such as robotics, mixed reality, computer-aided design (CAD), 3-D printing, video game design, and computer simulations. The children also learned about potential careers in engineering fields, including mechanical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity.

The ETIC, which opened in 2015, aims to broaden partnerships among industries, the academic community, and professional organizations. The Center seeks to make a difference in the critical areas of IT and cybersecurity, bioengineering and medical devices, and energy and green technologies.