Buffalo State–National Grid Partnership Introduces High School Students to Engineering Field
Buffalo State University, in a partnership with National Grid, is offering a free technology camp for local high school students that will take place July 10–21 on campus.
The second annual Future Innovators in Tech and Engineering (FITE) camp is open to 50 rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors from the city of Buffalo and first-ring suburbs and will include electrical engineering technology and creative and critical thinking lessons. Students will also tour a National Grid facility and visit the Niagara Power Vista.
The university’s Continuing Professional Studies Office is overseeing the camp, and faculty and alumni from the Engineering Technology Department and the Center for Applied Imagination will provide instruction over the two weeks.
Applicants must submit a statement explaining why they want to attend the FITE camp and identify a teacher or counselor who supports their application.
“The camp is a great introduction to our engineering technology programs and the STEM fields that will need more highly trained workers in the future.”
“As an urban-engaged campus, our primary focus of recruitment is Buffalo Public Schools and first-ring suburban schools, including Cheektowaga, Lackawanna, Kenmore, and Tonawanda,” said Katie Welsted, Buffalo State director of corporate and foundation relations. “We want to make it accessible to students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] concepts on a college campus.”
FITE is also designed to prepare for future workforce needs.
“National Grid is committed to building local talent pools to become the next generation of the workforce in various trades and the energy industry,” said Mauri Myers-Solages, strategic partnerships manager for National Grid. “Our partnership with Buffalo State directly aligns with this initiative, and the FITE camp was designed with the future workforce in mind. It embodies the type of program that we like to support so that students can continue to learn how to apply technical skills with creative problem-solving as they consider STEM careers.”
During the camp, which runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day in the Technology Building, students will work in Buffalo State’s Smart Grid Lab and tackle a real-life challenge provided by National Grid.
This year’s challenge is to figure out how to make various rooms on campus more energy efficient, said Cecilia Pershyn, programming coordinator with the Continuing Professional Studies Office.
“The camp provides a unique opportunity for students to work on a real smart grid and learn more about the engineering field,” Pershyn said. “It’s a great introduction to our engineering technology programs and the STEM fields that will need more highly trained workers in the future.”
On the last day of the camp, Friday, July 21, participants will present their solutions to the challenge to National Grid employees during a celebration in which parents are invited to attend.
Pershyn noted that last year’s camp went very well, which is why both Buffalo State and National Grid wanted to replicate it this summer.
“Students came away with a greater understanding of creative problem-solving through the lens of energy and electricity,” Pershyn said. “They really engaged with the National Grid employees, who told us they were impressed by the solutions the students presented.”
In addition to funding for the summer camp, National Grid established the National Grid Diversity in STEM Scholarship last year to support two first-year engineering technology majors through four years of study. The two recipients from last year will continue to receive support this year as sophomores.
To register for the 2023 FITE camp, please visit the FITE registration page. More information about the camp is available on the FITE web page.
