H2M participates in ACE Mentor Program

The ACE Mentor Program (a 501C not-for-profit corporation, founded in 1995) is an innovative way of attracting students into the fields of architecture, construction management and engineering. Mentors from leading design and construction firms, devote countless off-duty hours and personal energy to introduce students to a broad range of people, projects and career possibilities within the construction industry. H2M knew there were mentor firms in New York City and Nassau County, but none in Suffolk County. H2M's diverse service offering which represents many aspects of design would be a great fit to mentor a team of students, therefore this year; H2M joined the program being one of the first mentor firms in Suffolk County. The Team Danny Tanzi, P.E., R.A, LEED AP and Eric W. Maisch, R.A., LEED AP from H2M's architectural division led the H2M team each week by planning each session and preparing the necessary activities—without formal teacher training. Other H2M participants included: Adam Post, LEED AP (Architecture); Charles Beckert, R.L.A. (Landscape Architecture); Katherine M. McMahon (Architecture); Michael Bowden, EIT (Civil) ; Michael Lantier, P.E., LEED AP BD+C (Electrical); Natalie G. Wolfram, P.E. LEED AP (Structural); Natalie M. Kovac, P.E., LEED AP (Mechanical); Patrick Stone (Architecture); and Steven McEvoy, P.E. (Structural). Elizabeth Uzzo, VP (Human Resources) with the assistance of Kathleen F. Cantwell (Corporate) played an integral part in the administration of the program from the initial registration to coaching students on "How-To Write an Essay." 22 students (sophomores, juniors and seniors) from both private and public high schools on Long Island met for more than 20 sessions during the 2011-2012 school year. Some of the students had exposure to architectural, construction and/or engineering studies prior to their participation in the program; some had none. Tanzi said, "Each student in our group seemed to have an elevated awareness of architecture, construction or engineering." Eric Maisch of H2M said, "They were interested in different disciplines, many of which H2M offers, so in the end, we had cohesive project team...this dynamic was important to the success of the program." The project: H2M chose community as its theme. The approach to the team project was to focus on an issue that was topical, timely and relevant to the lives of the students and each week the students would partake in architectural, construction, and engineering activities to form solutions for a chosen problem. The students were challenged with identifying reasons for leaving Long Island after graduation. Most of their reasons matched the current social, economic and physical space issues we all face on Long Island. The result of the brainstorming included the following reasons: housing issues, cultural issues, public transportation and transportation in general (the reliance on automobiles), non-distinct community fabric and lack of mixed-use zoning. The mentors showed the students that their concerns with some definition were directly connected to real issues Long Island communities face. "I was impressed that these young adults had such awareness of the issues on Long Island that, if addressed, may keep young people here," said Tanzi. The H2M team elected to work on a downtown revitalization project. Along with a brief oration of some theory at each session, most of the time was spent engaging the students in thought-provoking discussion, evoking critical-thinking which they applied to a practical experience. The students worked on site selection, planning and development, building virtual models, incorporated various engineering disciplines and followed through the entire design process that modeled real-life activities that the professionals at H2M performs daily. They discussed client, municipal and community relations, as well. A major culminating event was held at the end of the program in New York City, where all the teams presented their projects, much as actual design teams would present to their clients. H2M was one of eight teams presenting that night and the presentation was excellent, according to Maisch. The pride of success: The ACE Mentor Program also offers ACE Scholarships. Scholarship funds are raised through local events to help graduating seniors defray some of the costs of attending college. Each graduating senior is given the opportunity to apply for an ACE Mentor Program scholarship and a committee, with input from team mentors, selects the scholarship winners. This year, four seniors on the H2M team were awarded ACE Scholarships. "Being involved in the ACE Mentor Program was enriching for us, as well. As professionals we had the opportunity to step out of our day-to-day activities and observe each other in the mentorship role, speaking about our respective disciplines. I learned a lot about my colleagues' enthusiasm for their professions, which made me feel proud to work with them," said Danny Tanzi, P.E., R.A, LEED AP. "Many of the non-senior students on our team have expressed an interest in coming back next year. The overall success of our program was the product of everyone's hard work. The students' performance was truly impressive," Maisch said. H2M provides architectural, engineering consulting solutions for buildings and infrastructure and offers our clients the collective expertise of more than 260 architects, engineers (water supply, civil/site, structural, M/E/P, wastewater, chemical & environmental), planners, designers, inspectors, surveyors & scientists, delivering the most advanced, comprehensive investigative & design services. # # #