Aldine ISD Students Bring Design Smarts to METRO Bus Shelters

View as a webpage / Share

Aldine ISD Students Bring Design Smarts to METRO Bus Shelters

kids

METRO Connections Newsletter • April 2019

share

On April 23, teams of STEM students from Aldine Independent School District arrived at METRO headquarters ready to compete and show off an array of innovative bus shelter designs. 

The design contest is part of a collaborative effort between METRO and Aldine ISD to enhance the district's STEM program, giving students an opportunity to develop workplace skills needed for the new knowledge economy, as well as encourage civic engagement. 

Hundreds of students who participated in the contest researched and designed bus shelter prototypes using 3-D design software and printers. Individual teams submitted detailed scopes of their projects, including lists of construction materials, tasks and itemized budgets.

Aldine ISD Digital Learning Specialist Bradley KapIan believes that developing learning opportunities which enable students to use a variety of academic skills is essential to helping them understand how all the pieces of a concept fit together. 

"Students often see math, science, language arts, and design that as separate skills. Bringing all of these subjects together in a real-world scenario makes learning an interactive experience. When students are actively learning, they're engaged and motivated. It's a type of learning that stays with them for life," said Kaplan.

To develop communication skills, students were also tasked with presenting their ideas to a real panel of experts.

"It is one thing to create a plan; it is another to present it to a group of judges," said Kaplan. "Being able to clearly communicate your ideas to others is a vital skill for future success."

METRO Executive Vice President of Planning, Engineering, and Construction Roberto Trevino agrees.

"There's a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes with seeing the results of your creativity and labor come to fruition," he said. "Giving students real-world experience will ultimately boost their confidence and set them up for a brighter future."

The winning team will be announced by METRO President & CEO Tom Lambert on Saturday, May 4, 2019. Make sure you're subscribed to the METRO Connections newsletter for updates.

students

busshare

Would you like to receive more stories like this? Click here to subscribe to the METRO Connections monthly newsletter today!