This article was submitted and written by West Ferris STEAM.
Recently, the STEAM students at West Ferris Secondary School celebrated their acceptance into the Engineer in Residence Program with an interesting presentation by Nick Vezina, a local Mechanical Engineer in Training (EIT) with Cementation Canada Inc.
The Engineer in Residence Program (EIR), an outreach program coordinated by the Engineers of Tomorrow, is an excellent program that is designed to inspire young people in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This program initiates a partnership among professional engineers and educators, to introduce students to the world of engineering.
Local EIT Nick Vezina, in collaboration with Stacey Hutchison, a STEAM teacher at West Ferris, will be working together to prepare unique hands-on projects that will definitely challenge STEAM students, improve problem-solving skills, and increase the ability to learn from failure. Students will have the opportunity to test knowledge with bridge building and tower creation activities, participate in competitions, and learn about the many ways to tackle problems that exist in the 21st century.
Hutchison is looking forward to building this partnership: “This is an amazing opportunity for our STEAM students. They will gain useful knowledge and numerous skills that will definitely assist them in the future. These projects may even spark an interest in the engineering field!”
Vezina’s presentation was well-received, with many students asking questions about the various types of engineering jobs available, as well as courses required to become an engineer.
“I believe that community outreach is very important in North Bay and I think it's great that I have the opportunity to go back to my old high school and provide real-world perspectives and value for each student,” Vezina commented.
This collaboration will continue next year with the incoming grade 9 STEAM students as well as the returning grade 10s. Programs such this will help to break the gender stereotypes that surround careers like engineering, provide grassroots relationship-building in education, and further increase our technological literacy.
For more information about the West Ferris Intermediate and Secondary School STEAM Program, please visit their website:
