Design Lives Here Engineering Student Challenge at WQED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 16, 2011

CONTACT:  George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366 ghaziman@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
412-622-1459 mpisano@wqed.org

ANNUAL ENGINEERING ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM CULMINATES WITH STUDENT CHALLENGE EVENT AT WQED



PITTSBURGH—On Friday, April 20, 2012 the third annual Design Lives Here challenge will take place at WQED Studios in Oakland.

From January through April 2012, 10 regional schools as well as two afterschool programs targeting over 100+ minorities and girls participated in the Design Lives Here program presented by WQED Pittsburgh and the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) with additional support from MSA, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare and American Bridge.

The participating schools and programs include:

• SciTech Academy in Oakland
• Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament School in Natrona Heights
• North Hills Junior High
• St. Philip School in Crafton
• Franklin Regional Middle School in Murrysville
• West Mifflin Area Middle School
• Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside
• The Neighborhood Academy in East Liberty
• Haine Middle School in Cranberry Township
• Marshall Middle School in North Allegheny
• YWCA Tech GYRLS Afterschool Program in Homewood
• Investing Now Afterschool Program in Oakland

Utilizing activities and content from Design Squad Nation episodes and interactive resources, participating schools were guided by real engineers to complete challenges. Students participate in many diverse activities for up to four months - such as meeting and networking with the ESWP and WQED staff and working in teams to engineer games, instruments, launchers and cranes. As the students convene on April 20th, they will be randomly placed into teams across schools and given spontaneous challenges such as building a pop-up shelter and seeing if it can withstand “hurricane-like” winds.

Design Lives Here is a student outreach competition based on the PBS show Design Squad Nation, a reality-style program created to “inspire the next generation of engineers.” The show features teens engaged in challenges all over the United States and globe, vying for scholarships by designing devices to understand the complex – and compelling – world of engineering.

“As engineers we are always interested in engaging young people in S.T.E.M. careers. The Design Lives Here event will give us the opportunity to provide them with exciting and interactive real-world applications of engineering,” said Tom Donatelli, 2012 President of the ESWP.

“Thousands of jobs are open in our region in S.T.E.M. fields in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It is critical that we use every tool at our disposal – including television – to engage our next generation of creative problem solvers. Engaging kids in afterschool and classroom settings allows us to integrate a TV show, engineering mentors, hands-on problem solving, games, and animations into the learning process. Design Lives Here constantly reemphasizes to young people that they too, can participate in engineering as a career," said Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships at WQED. “We are thrilled to engage major local partners in this investment in engineering education for teens.  It will positively impact teens, teachers
and businesses in our region.”

On the Border restaurant in Cranberry Township is providing lunch for students and participants on April 20th.

NOTE TO WORKING PRESS:
Photo opportunities are available on Friday, April 20, 2012 from 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. at WQED Studios in Oakland as the students take on their final Design Lives Here challenge.

For more information or to schedule an interview with any of the partners please contact George Hazimanolis at 412-622-1366 or ghazimanolis@wqed.org.

WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high- definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and The WQED Education Department.

Design Squad Nation is a 10-part series of TV shows and video blogs that build on the success of the award-winning PBS reality competition series Design Squad to get kids excited about engineering. Design Squad Nation is high-energy, high-drama reality TV led by Judy and Adam, two professional engineers who work with kids around the world to make their wishes come tru through engineering. From creating a park for skaters at the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona to building a playground in a rural village in Nicaragua's northern mountains, the goal of Design Squad Nation is to inspire viewers to take on their own hands-on engineering activities.

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Chester Engineer's CEO Agbede Named Entrepreneur of the Year

Robert O. Agbede President and CEO of Chester Engineers Selected as 2012 NSBE Golden Torch Award honoree for Entrepreneur of the Year

The National Society of Black Engineers is pleased to announce that they have selected Robert O. Agbede, President and CEO of Chester Engineers as their 2012 NSBE Golden Torch Award honoree for Entreprenuer of the Year. Mr. Agbede, was nominated and selected because of the significant impact he has made on the community and his contributions to the African American Community. Mr. Agbede will be honored and saluted at the “15th Annual Golden Torch Awards (GTA)” to be held on Saturday, March 31, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The National Society of Black Engineers is the premier organization serving African Americans in engineering and technology. As a technical community service association, NSBE is the link between the African American community and the world of technology.

NSBE supports and promotes the aspirations of professionals, students and pre-college students. The mission the founders set forth in 1975, “To increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community, “ has blossomed into an organization with chapters worldwide.

The Annual Golden Torch Awards link the accomplishments of distinguished African- American engineers and technical professionals with college bound dreams of pre-college students. Since its inception GTA has served as a night to honor the best and the brightest in technology.

Robert O. Agbede is President and CEO of Chester Engineers, a leading water/waste water, facility design build, scientific research and management company. Chester, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has offices throughout the country as well as international affiliates. Mr. Agbede acquired the firm, that turned 100 last year, in 2003, making it part of the ATS Group, the company he founded in 1987. Chester Engineers is the largest African-American-owned environmental and engineering design firm in the United States and the largest Water and Wastewater treatment plant design and management firm in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.

A recognized expert in the field of environmental engineering, Mr. Agbede is a University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering graduate with Bachelors and Masters Degrees and a holder of several U.S. patents. In 2000, he was inducted into the school's Engineering Hall of Fame, joining other prominent graduates who have made significant contributions to American industry. Mr. Agbede is the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award of the University of Pittsburgh.

The 38th Annual Convention is NSBE's premiere event encompassing members from around the world. The convention will be in Pittsburgh, PA from March 28 - April 1, 2012. During the convention, there will be various programs and workshops in place to benefit grade school, collegiate, graduate, technical professional, and international NSBE members. The convention will showcase NSBE culture, membership achievements, local and national talent, and black-owned businesses in the Pittsburgh area.

Register for Convention

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates by Joyce Kane.  Joyce is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Inventive Engineering Program Design Lives Here Competition

Inventive Engineering Program Design Lives Here Continues in 2012


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 15, 2011

CONTACT:
George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366
ghaziman@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
412-622-1459
mpisano@wqed.org

Inventive Engineering Program

Design Lives Here Continues in 2012

PITTSBURGH—From January through April 2012, 15 regional schools will have the exciting opportunity to participate in the third annual Design Lives Here program presented by WQED Pittsburgh and the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) with additional support from MSA and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.

Design Lives Here is a student outreach competition of the PBS show called Design Squad Nation, a reality-based program created to “inspire the next generation of engineers.” The show includes teens engaged in challenges all over the United States and globe, vying for scholarships by designing devices to understand the complex – and compelling – world of engineering.

Utilizing activities and content from Design Squad Nation episodes and interactive resources, participating schools will be guided by real engineers to complete the challenges. Students will participate in many diverse activities - such as meeting and networking with the ESWP and WQED staff, working in teams to engineer games, instruments, launchers and cranes as well as compete in the actual Design Lives Here challenge on April 20th, 2012 at WQED.

“As engineers we are always interested in engaging young people in STEM careers. The Design Lives Here event will give us the opportunity to provide them with exciting and interactive real-world applications of engineering,” said Tom Donatelli, 2012 President of the ESWP.

"Thousands of jobs are open in our region in STEM fields. It is critical that we use every tool to engage our next generation of creative problem solvers – including television. Engaging kids in afterschool and classroom settings allows us to integrate a TV show into the learning process and visually reemphasize to young people that they too, can participate in engineering as a career," said Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Educational Partnerships at WQED. “We are thrilled to engage three major local partners in this investment in engineering education for teens. It will positively impact teens, teachers and our region.”

WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and The WQED Education Department.

The Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP) has provided a forum for the professional development and social interaction of its members for more than a century. Headquartered in an historic landmark building and club facility, the ESWP is chartered to advance the professions of engineering, architecture and applied sciences through technical activities, public services participation and social organizations. It also supports the needs of industries, communities and government in Western Pennsylvania.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world’s largest over-the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well-known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette® and NicoDerm®CQ®, as well as many medicine cabinet staples – Aquafresh®, Sensodyne®, and TUMS® – which are trademarks owned by and/or licensed to GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies.

Established in 1914, MSA is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people's health and safety. Many MSA products typically integrate any combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive line of products is used by workers around the world in the fire service, oil, gas and petrochemical industry, homeland security, construction, mining and other industries, as well as the military. Principal products include self-contained breathing apparatus, gas masks, gas detection instruments, head protection, fall protection devices and thermal imaging cameras. The company also provides a broad range of consumer and contractor safety products through retail channels. These products are marketed and sold under the Safety Works brand. (More information on Safety Works products is available at www.SafetyWorks.com.) MSA has annual sales of approximately $1 billion, manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, and 42 international locations.

Design Squad Nation is a 10-part series of TV shows and video blogs that build on the success of the award-winning PBS reality competition series Design Squad to get kids excited about engineering. Design Squad Nation is high-energy, high-drama reality TV led by Judy and Adam, two professional engineers who work with kids around the world to make their wishes come true through engineering. From creating a park for skaters at the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona to building a playground in a rural village in Nicaragua's northern mountains, the goal of Design Squad Nation is to inspire viewers to take on their own hands-on engineering activities.