Inspiring the Future: STEAM Education and Community
As the school year draws to a close, one truth remains: we have immense respect for our educators! Throughout the last quarter, our employees have been engaged in classrooms, competitions, and community events, fostering STEAM education and exploring students’ perceptions of science. The STEAM field offers countless opportunities to educate those around us, whether through personalized interactions, professional development, initial exposure to new concepts, or engagement with children and adults alike.
Inspiring Futures
Our colleagues seize every opportunity to engage with collegiate student clubs and organizations, tapping into the curiosity and enthusiasm students have for our practice areas.
“It has been incredibly rewarding to see their progress,” said Scott Petrarca, survey project manager from our Conway, SC location. Petrarca has been collaborating with the student ASCE organization at Horry Georgetown Technical College as they prepare for the Carolinas Survey Plat competition. Over the past two months, he has guided them on setting up templates, building a surface, and drawing a boundary. “They quickly understood the concepts and added their own creativity to the project. One student even delved deeply into Civil 3D and ended up teaching me something new,” Petrarca added.
Meanwhile, Mary Beth Wortham, urban design project manager, organized a Lunch and Launch event at the University of Georgia School of Architecture, GSLA (Georgia Student Landscape Architecture Association). She aimed to introduce students to Bolton & Menk, a career in landscape architecture, and showcase some of our diverse projects. “I enjoy connecting with students and sharing my professional experience with them,” said Wortham. “They are always inquisitive and eager to learn about professional practice.”
Sonia Sledge, senior talent management generalist, recently connected with the Graduate Student Council of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineers at Iowa State University. Sledge focused on strategies for standing out as top candidates for internships and entry-level jobs in civil engineering, generating multiple phone interviews, resume reviews, and feedback sessions, eventually leading to the hiring of an intern for our water resources group.
STEAM Education and Community Connections
Our volunteers have also been making a significant impact through their classroom visits this season, engaging with students in meaningful ways.
Forrest Martinson, municipal project engineer, Justin Ernst, municipal assistant group leader, Zach Parsons, transportation project manager, and Jacob Ahrens, municipal project engineer, joined forces with Everybody Wins! Iowa to celebrate Engineers Week. Everybody Wins! Iowa is a private, non-profit organization focused on literacy and mentoring, serving 6 Central Iowa school districts across 15 elementary schools. The signature program, Power Read, pairs mentors and students from K-5 for weekly reading sessions, usually during lunch, fostering meaningful and nurturing relationships. Our volunteer team visited Perry Elementary, Crestview School of Inquiry, Orchard Hills Elementary, and Walnut Street School to conduct a STEAM activity and read a STEAM book from our children’s book series.
“We appreciated this donation of books—for both the students and our book carts—and all the Bolton & Menk volunteers,” said EWI Executive Director, Karen Ligas. “This event was impactful for our students to show career opportunities and STEAM in action in their community. Thank you for being part of our EWI family and contributing to our future!”
One particularly special moment stood out during Jacob Ahrens’ classroom visit with Perry Elementary students. Both the Mayor and Superintendent stopped by to be a part of the event. Bolton & Menk is grateful for our community partners and local officials that take time out of their day to connect with students and provide guidance to younger generations within their communities.
“Small gestures truly do go a long way,” said Ahrens.
Jen McCoy, traffic senior project engineer, celebrated Engineering Week at Delaware Elementary School, interacting with students through STEAM education activities. She emphasized the importance of introducing girls to engineering early, as it increases their likelihood of exploring engineering classes in high school and beyond.
Innovative Competition
Our dedicated volunteers have made a significant impact through their mentorship and support of local STEAM competitions. Their commitment to fostering educational growth is evident in the valuable experiences they provide for students.
Cody Flannery, planner, and Corrin Bemis, transportation planning project manager, judged the Future City Competition, where 6-8th graders worked in teams to design floating cities in the sky, focusing on keeping citizens healthy and safe.
Flannery and Bemis created the first ever Bolton & Menk REAL City Award, celebrating student ingenuity and dedication based on the pillars of resilience, equity, ambition, and livability. The award was won by Project Kelluva, designed by students from Valley Middle School of STEM (District 196, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan), which demonstrated a high understanding of essential elements of real city building.
We were equally excited to continue our support at the Minnesota State Science and Engineering Fair, marking our fourth year of participation in this program, hosted by the Minnesota Academy of Science. Our judges—Jasmin Johnson, IT support technician, Erin Maruska, architectural designer, Phil Nagel, GIS developer, and Jordan Pankonin, municipal project engineer—collaborated to select the top three projects that exemplified innovation, creative thinking, and technical skills, echoing our belief that all communities should be safe, sustainable, and beautiful.
“It’s fun to dive into the creative projects and solutions students come up with,” shared Pankonin, reflecting on the judging experience. “Their passion to build a better future is inspiring, and it’s fascinating to see the topics they choose as technology evolves.”
During Surveyor’s Week, our team was hard at work judging Chapter One’s 23rd Annual Trig Star Program. Held at South Central College, more than 100 students from five high schools—Fairmont High School, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial High School, Mankato West High School, Maple River High School, and GFW School—participated in the event. The program included a one-hour written exam, small group presentations on land surveying, and an awards ceremony.
Volunteers, including Survey Group Leader Janele Fowlds, and Survey Project Managers Jesse Zeig and Nate Myhra, played crucial roles in coordinating the event, overseeing exams, and grading students’ papers.
“I enjoy supporting TrigStar as it is a great tool for raising awareness among high school students about land surveying,” said Zeig. “It helps students see the real-world applications of trigonometry.”
Our volunteers have been actively supporting local MATHCOUNTS competitions throughout the year, representing offices from Chaska, MN to Des Moines, IA, helping middle school students aiming for the state level.
Municipal Graduate Engineer Dalmas Omwoyo graded submissions and assisted with event setup at the Chapter Competition at the University of Minnesota. “It’s important to show students they can pursue STEAM fields,” Omwoyo said. “Presentations from STEAM professionals guided my path to Bolton & Menk.”
The energy, drive, and brilliance of the students we have supported through various educational programs are nothing short of extraordinary. These young minds are bursting with ideas that hold the promise of shaping a brighter future. Their dedication to their projects and innovative thinking remind us of the critical importance of nurturing the next generation. By engaging with these bright minds and fostering their growth, we are not only contributing to their futures but also to the future of our communities and industries.
