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Showcasing a new understanding of engineering and architectural principles, over 45 teams of high school students presented their scale-bridge designs for the retrofit of a bridge in Rio-Antirrio, Greece or the replacement of a bridge in Santa Cruz, California. The 2024 Bridge Showcase & Awards Event was held at UC Berkeley on Saturday, April 20, 2024, and is the annual celebration and culmination of the innovative program created by Engineers Alliance for the Arts (EAA). Known as the Student Impact Project, scale bridges, hand sketches, essays, and oral presentations are required components of the program, which is designed to inspire and educate students about the interaction of art, architecture, engineering and construction.

The Event was hosted by the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at UC Berkeley and was held in Stanley Hall on the Cal campus. Professor Matt DeJong gave the Keynote address highlighting the vital role engineering plays in the built environment and some of the creative ways issues can be addressed. Natalie Tse, of Tipping Structural Engineers, served as the event emcee. A distinguished group of Judges, including Noelle Yuen of Maffei Structural, Ken Klein of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger,  Ray Pugliesi of Degenkolb Engineers, Lauren Sullivan of CDM Smith, Robert Becker of Presenting Architecture, Matt DeJong of UC Berkeley, Laura Howard of Fox Rothschild, LLP, and, Katy Taylor Ford of Ratcliff Architects evaluated the bridges and team presentations.

The top awarded winning bridge was presented by students from Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, and offered “the elegance of an arch bridge with the efficiency of a suspension bridge,” as stated by the student designers. In addition to the Best in Show Award, there are multiple categories of other awards presented to teams, including best design award, top communication award, and the President’s Award, which is selected by EAA Board President, Will Kotterman.

Over 600 students participated in the California program, which was hosted in 23 high school classes and supported by over 60 volunteers, all professionals in engineering or architecture. The schools are not charged to participate in the program and all required supplies and materials are provided by EAA at no cost.

The program offers students the unique experience of working with engineers and designers to learn problem solving, team building, and presentation skills in a project-based classroom setting. Since 1999, EAA has provided Bay Area schools with fully-developed STEAM-focused curriculum spanning ten weeks. The program brings a fresh and exciting tool to the educational experience by showcasing the arts as a critical component of engineering. The volunteer engineers and architects show students the wide span of industry possibilities and encourage students to consider a future career in engineering or a related field.

In recent years, EAA has opened Chapters in Tulsa, Houston, Charleston, and Atlanta and has resources available to help establish new Chapters. Engineers, SEA-organizations, or communities interested in starting an EAA Chapter to bring this transformative program to local students can find more information at www.EngineersAlliance.org or contact Executive Director Michelle Lehman at eaabayarea@gmail.com.

Engineers Alliance for the Arts was founded in 1998 by Ashraf Habibullah and the original curriculum was conceived by past EAA Board President Jax Kneppers. EAA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and tax-deductible donations are welcome to help EAA continue their mission to find, inspire, and educate the next generation of industry leaders.

EAA is proud to welcome two new Vice Presidents to the Student Impact Project! Ryan Salas and Claire Killian will join current VP’s Rafa Turcios and Simon Ng for the 2024 school year.

Both Ryan and Claire have served as classroom volunteers at Ida B. Wells High School in San Francisco and bring their robust educational and professional experience to EAA. Ryan currently works at Trailhead Technology Partners as a Product Designer and was previously an architectural designer and furniture designer. He earned an architecture degree from UC Berkeley and a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington. Claire joined EAA in 2022 and has immersed herself in our nonprofit organization. She is a Designer at Degenkolb and earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UCLA and a Master in Structural Engineering from Stanford.

Ryan and Claire will assist in creating engaging project scenarios, informative curriculum, and efficient strategies for our upcoming program year. We look forward to seeing how they are able to grow our Student Impact Project and enhance our organization’s impact. Thank you and Congratulations, Claire and Ryan!

Engineers Alliance for the Arts is delighted to announce the 2023 recipients of the Chen Family Scholarship Award:

Jaden Banks: Pinole Valley High School

Morgan Lee: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School

Jacob Linares: Carlmont High School

Lauren Mizerak-Mohun: Carlmont High School

Shrish Premkrishna: Livermore High School

Students who participated in our 2023 Student Impact Project and plan to pursue a career in engineering, design or construction were eligible to submit an application. The main objective of the grants is to provide financial support and incentive for students from underrepresented populations to pursue higher education in an Architecture, Engineering, or Construction (AEC)-related field. Each year, five inspired and deserving students receive a $1,000 grant award for college or trade school educational expenses.

Thank you to the Chen Family for their generous gift that made this scholarship award possible. The application period runs during the month of May and winners are announced in July each year. This merit-based scholarship awards students who have completed the Student Impact Project and plan to pursue an education in Engineering, Architecture or Construction at a 2-year or 4-year college/university or at an accredited trade school. We can’t wait to see how our winners shape the future of engineering!

2023 marks the second year of our scholarship grant program, but we want to ensure distribution of grants for decades to come so we can assist students interested in an AEC industry career. We have established a fundraising goal of $100,000 and need your help. With a tax-deductible contribution to the Scholarship Fund, you can help students pursue an AEC education, and support the future of the industry. Please contribute to our scholarship endowment by making a donation today. Thank you!

Engineers Alliance for the Arts (EAA) would like to announce that we received a grant award of $4,000 from Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS). Founded in 2000, EAA has a mission to inspire and educate students about the interaction of art, architecture, engineering, and construction. Using a STEAM curriculum combining technical and artistic components, EAA offers students – over 6,500 underserved high school youth since our inception – the unique experience of working with engineers and designers to learn problem solving, team building, and presentation skills in the design and creation of scale model bridges.

The cumulative experience of the SIP transforms the educational process, promoting a broader scope of academic and personal development. Engaging over 30 schools and more than 650 teachers and volunteers, the SIP culminates annually in a preliminary qualifying event at each participating school – once the bridges are built – and a Bridge Showcase & Awards Event for the top designs from each school. In 2022, the Awards Event was held at UC Berkeley with 40 participating high school teams.

In the words of one of our students: “I learned a lot during this whole experience, and hope to someday pursue a career in engineering.”

As a small, but impactful, nonprofit organization, we cannot do this work without generous supporters. In partnership with LLNS, we will be able to continue supporting high-quality educational programming that enables access to knowledge and information and empowers students and teachers with a focus on furthering STEAM education. Together, we will spark an interest in science and science careers for low- income, minority students, potentially fueling the fire to forge the next STEAM workforce from a population who might otherwise not have the opportunity. Thank you, LLNS!!

Engineers Alliance for the Arts is thrilled to announce the creation of a new scholarship endowment! We will provide scholarships to students participating in our Student Impact Project who want to pursue a career in engineering, design or construction. The main objective of the grants is to provide financial support and incentive for students from underrepresented populations to pursue higher education in an Architecture, Engineering, or Construction (AEC)-related field. Each year, five inspired and deserving students will earn a $1,000 award for college or vocational training tuition.

Thank you to the Chen Family for their generous gift that made this scholarship award possible. The application period runs during the month of May and winners are announced in July. This merit-based scholarship awards students who have completed the Student Impact Project and plan to pursue an education in Engineering, Architecture or Construction at a 2-year or 4-year college/university or at an accredited trade school. We can’t wait to see how our winners shape the future of engineering!

2022 marks the first year of our scholarship grants, but we want to ensure distribution of grants for decades to come so we can assist students interested in an AEC industry career. We have established a fundraising goal of $100,000 and need your help. With a tax-deductible contribution to the Scholarship Fund, you can help students pursue an AEC education, and support the future of the industry. Please contribute to our scholarship endowment by making a donation today. Thank you!

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Engineers Alliance for the Arts is excited to announce Karen Melander as the recipient of the 2021 Teacher of the Year Award! Karen has participated in the Student Impact Project (SIP) for over 15 years and her contributions inside the classroom and to our organization will have a lasting impact for years to come.

Karen taught the Architecture and Design classes at Abraham Lincoln High School. With dedication and determination, she helped establish ALHS as one of the top performing programs year after year. Her students have consistently produced award winning bridges at the Annual Bridge Showcase & Awards Event, including winning first and second place in the 2021 competition.

A constant supporter of the program, Karen built her classroom activities around the EAA program, creating unique ancillary assignments to support the bridge curriculum. Additionally, she has advocated for specific supplies and tools to help students create unique features that enhance the bridge design process and construction.

“Karen’s remarkable knowledge of architecture and design, combined with her unrelenting support for each of her students, helped me develop a deep love of architecture and inspired me — and so many other students — to pursue a career in structural engineering,” said Simon Ng, who was a student in Karen’s class as a high school freshman, and now twelve years later, is an EAA Classroom Volunteer teaching the SIP to the next generation of future engineers and architects.

Karen retired from teaching over the summer, and has recently moved to Rome, Italy to study and earn her Masters in Art History. Her ALHS successor will continue to offer our program to students, keeping the traditions Karen set in motion, and furthering the opportunity for students to learn about the importance of integrating design and engineering.

To commemorate all of Karen’s amazing achievements, EAA is proud to create the Karen Melander Design Award for the Student Impact Project. This Award will be presented to one individual or team who uses thoughtful and creative design elements in their bridge, starting with the 2022 Bridge Showcase & Awards Event.

Join us in sending our sincere appreciation, best wishes and congratulations to Karen!

Engineers Alliance for the Arts has named Rafael Turcios and Demetra Tzamaras as the new Vice Presidents for the 2020 Student Impact Project (SIP).

Rafael has been a SIP volunteer at New Technology High School in Napa. The Student Teams from the class he taught at New Technology won First Place and Best in Show in 2018 at the Annual Bridge Showcase & Awards Event. This will be his third year participating with EAA. He has worked at RSA Civil for the last five years in Land Development. Prior to joining RSA Civil, he spent over a year in Korea teaching English, and graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Civil Engineering.

Demetra volunteered for the SIP at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in 2019 and at Immaculate Conception Academy in 2018. She works at Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger and was previously at Parsons Corporation in Washington DC. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in Civil Engineering, and has a Masters from UC Berkeley in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Both Rafael and Demetra are enthusiastic supporters of the SIP and are excited to join EAA’s Board of Directors and take on the role of Vice President.

Vice Presidents oversee the annual Student Impact Project, develop scenarios, create new curriculum, and coordinate with teachers and volunteers during the 10 week program. Additionally, they orchestrate the Bridge Showcase & Awards Event, which is the culmination of the SIP in which qualified student teams present their bridge designs to a panel of judges.

Former Vice Presidents Patrick Murren and Ariel Creagh have both recently moved for new job opportunities. Patrick is relocating to North Carolina and Ariel is transfering to Degenkolb in Southern California. Their tremendous contributions to the SIP include the development of a cost-analysis extension unit and streamlined program processes.

Engineers Alliance for the Arts presented their Teacher and Volunteer of the Year Awards at the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) meeting in November 2019.

Derek Sereno of ZFA Structural Engineers received the William Kaplan Volunteer of the Year Award. Derek has volunteered with EAA for four years, serving as a lead instructor at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Over the years, Derek has worked with multiple classroom teachers, coordinated changing schedules, and recruited colleagues from ZFA to volunteer for the Student Impact Project (SIP). With an enthusiasm to teach and cultivate the next generation of thinkers, builders, and problem-solvers, Derek has introduced over 100 Carlmont High School Students to the engineering profession and to principles of structural design.

The 2019 Teacher of the Year Award was proudly presented to Angelene Warnock. Angelene established the Student Impact Project at New Technology High School in Napa two years ago. In her first year, she helped her students win three of the top six awards at EAA’s Annual Bridge Showcase & Awards Event, including Best in Show and First Place. Angelene created an impressive Preliminary Competition Event in which school administrators, community leaders, students and their families are invited to view bridges in a gallery setting. All participants enjoy a reception before students present their bridge designs. Bringing energy and skill to the SIP,  Angelene has become a tremendous advocate of the program.

EAA congratulates Derek and Angelene for their outstanding efforts and dedication to the Student Impact Project!

For over a decade, William “Bill” Kaplan volunteered with the Student Impact Project and helped build EAA into the organization it is today. In memory of Bill and his personal impact on our organization, volunteers, and students, this award was created in 2011 to honor his contributions to EAA. The William S. Kaplan Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented to EAA’s most outstanding volunteer each year at the November meeting of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC).