(above, l-r) Front row: Chaiyute Sair, Julianna O’Sheal, Patrick Miller; Back row: Jennifer Arrogante (presenter), Antonio DeLuca, Aaron Steinhart, Dylan Mayerchak, Avi Gupta, Vincent Glynos, Sujit Tirunahari, Jonathan Hashemi, Krish Thapar, Yee Jao(presenter); Adults in back: Celeste Ostry and Scott Vaglio.
Club Hears from Experts in the Field
Warren Middle School students from the Science and Technology Studies (STS) afterschool club, supervised by Mr. Scott Vaglio, Spanish teacher, attended a presentation given by Yee Jao and Jennifer Arrogante from the New Jersey Society for Information Management (NJSIM).
NJSIM is an association of senior IT executives, prominent academicians, selected consultants and other IT thought leaders built on the foundation of local chapters, who come together to share and enhance their rich intellectual capital for the benefit of its members and their organizations.
The presentation began with the visitors introducing themselves and giving background information on their education and career paths. Students were encouraged to participate in the conversation and to ask questions as they came up.
Just prior to the interactive portion of the presentation, the guest speakers asked the students to share what qualities and skills they believe it takes to work in the IT field. Students responded back with answers such as; analytical abilities, problem-solving skills, creativity and programming competency. The presenters agreed and also suggested that having perseverance, excellent communication skills and the ability to work cooperatively with a team will be essential in the world of an IT Professional and also in life.
Before the presentation concluded the students were challenged to create the tallest, self-supporting tower with just one sheet of paper, 12 inches of tape and a pair of scissors, in ten minutes or less.
The students got started immediately, working closely in small groups, brainstorming a plan before they actually started to build their tower. After 2-3 minutes, each group was off to the races and the students were working together to engineer their designs.
As each group finished before the time was up, they all continued to make small tweaks to their towers to improve their final product. The presenters applauded the students and made a point to mention how valuable it is to always reevaluate one’s work. “Technology is always changing, such as machinery, computers, robotics and telecommunications. Innovations that are new today can be old tomorrow, it’s important to continuously look for ways to improve.” The final products were measured and all ranged between 21 to 23 inches tall!
The presentation and activity left the students energized and excited about technology. The students were encouraged to seek science, technology, engineering and math opportunities both inside and outside of school.
Photo by Warren Township Public Schools
