Program Encourages Aspiring Architects, Builders

A program that aims to spark student interest in architecture and engineering has come to a San Ramon high school.

is the first local school to offer Architecture, Construction and Engineering, or ACE.

ACE is an after-school program that pairs local architecture, construction and engineering experts with students interested in careers in those fields.

Students in the program meet for two hours after school about 15 times a year to learn about careers that create our homes, schools, bridges and other structures.

Each mentor teaches a group of 20 to 30 students, showing them how the business works inside and out, even taking them on field trips to construction sites.

At the end of the mentorship, students present a design project.

They pick a structure – maybe a school or a bridge – and design it from the ground up with their group – making a computer model and a physical model as part of their final design.

“This is an incredible program,” said Stephen Dick, who teaches engineering, design and drafting at Cal High.

It's important for high-school students to get an early insight into careers that interest them because it helps them choose a college and courses that get them into their chosen profession, Dick said.

The mentorship takes students through the design process used by professionals, he said, adding that mentors are diverse and have years of experience. They've worked for companies and agencies such as BART and Pixar Studios and have built everything from solar panels to terrorism-proof buildings.

John Marshall, associate engineer for the Contra Costa Water District, is a lead mentor. He said the mentors have helped show students what engineering and architecture is like outside the classroom.

The program offers students inside information as well as professional connections in the industry, career guidance and skills they can use in the future, he said.

The ACE Program is free and available to all students. It also offers scholarships; Marshall said that ACE has given tens of thousands of dollars a year in scholarships since it was founded on the East Coast in 1990.

Every student who has applied for one of the scholarships and followed its guidelines has been granted the money, he added.

Students interested in ACE, or professionals looking to mentor can sign up online at www.acementor.org.