NetPals Program Brings STEM Outreach to Cambridge 7th Graders
In an otherwise quiet part of Volpe, where transportation researchers were engrossed in their work, you could hear it echoing down the halls: children’s laughter.
For an hour one March afternoon, the future of the transportation sector was within Volpe’s walls, brimming with the curiosity and imagination that could one day push the industry to new heights.
It is here where 21 students from the Putnam Avenue Upper School in Cambridge met with Volpe staff as part of the year-long NetPals program. Organized by the Cambridge School Volunteers (CSV), NetPals offers 7th graders an introduction to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through one-on-one mentoring.
Participation in the program includes face-to-face meetings and email correspondence with volunteers from Volpe’s staff. Talks center on technology, science literacy, STEM career awareness, and establishing a friendly e-mentor relationship.
Volpe NetPals volunteers: (front row, L-to-R) Ed Howerter, Matt Cuddy, Patricia Llana, Suzanne Chen, Alan Rao, (middle) Justyne Hodgen, Liz Joyce, Scott Gabree, (back) Bianka Mejia, Andrew Breazeale, and Vaibhav Shah. (Volpe photo)
Seventy-four students from Putnam Avenue participate in NetPals, with the students divided among Volpe and two of its neighbors, Pegasystems Inc. and the Department of Chemical Engineering at MIT. Students from four other schools in the city participate with other agencies across Cambridge.
“From my point of view, it is extraordinary that every 7th grader in a school has the opportunity to develop a relationship with a professional from among 12 prominent Cambridge institutions and corporations working in the fields of biopharmaceuticals, technology, construction products, medical robots, and transportation planning,” said Lisa VanVleck, director of Corporate Programs for CSV.
“The Volpe Center is one of CSV's oldest partners,” VanVleck said. “Their involvement started with mini-courses for 7th graders, then transitioned to the Lunch Buddies Reading Buddies program at the Kennedy Longfellow School 17 years ago.”
Helping Students Reach the “Good Life”
This year’s NetPals students first visited their mentors at Volpe on Dec. 9. The program will culminate on May 2, when students will present science fair projects that they will develop in consultation with their Volpe mentors.
During the students’ March 17 visit to Volpe, Dr. Don Fisher, Volpe’s principal technical advisor in Surface Transportation Human Factors, gave a presentation on distracted driving, highlighting both the risks associated with being a distracted driver and the potential hazards of being a distracted pedestrian.
NetPals mentor Alan Rao, who works in Systems Safety and Engineering, then presented the students with an everyday math problem, underscoring the role math has in our daily lives and how it folds into policy and regulation impact analysis work conducted at Volpe.
“One of the benefits of participating in the NetPals program is exposing students to the possibilities that exist for them in the professional world,” said TJ Manning, who teaches the Putnam Avenue class that visits Volpe.
“Our school has a vision of moving our students towards the ‘good life’ in which students are able to use the skills and experiences from school and apply them to be college and career ready,” Manning said. “The NetPals program helps to break the barrier that exists between our students and the many professionals that come to work in Cambridge, exposing them to people who are living their ‘good life’ through a diversity of experiences and expertise.”
Volunteerism and STEM at Volpe
In addition to NetPals, members of Volpe’s staff volunteer with CSV’s Reading Buddies program, which pairs volunteers with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders to read aloud weekly or biweekly during the volunteers’ lunch hour.
Volpe also participates in other STEM activities, including the upcoming speed mentoring event hosted by WTS-Boston (March 31) and a presentation and simulator tour that’s part of the annual Cambridge Science Festival (April 19).
