ACE Mentor Chicago Kick-Off!

Epstein was thrilled to welcome back in-person activities with ACE Mentor Chicago this week! ACE provides a hands-on approach to help students learn about careers in architecture, construction, engineering and related professions.

Nearly 30 students from various Chicagoland area schools met with mentors from Epstein, as well as Environmental Systems Design (ESD) and Clune Construction, who will lead them throughout the 10-week program. Students will not only be introduced to each of the AEC fields, they will also develop a project of their own based on the CIRT National Design & Construction Competition, which requires ACE Mentor Affiliate teams (students and mentors) to create a design solution.

This is Epstein’s seventh year providing mentorship through ACE. After two years of virtual events, we hosted an introduction event Monday evening at our office. During this program, we had the opportunity to meet the students we’ll be working with and hear why they wanted to participate in ACE, what they hope to get out of the program and what discipline they find of interest.

The evening included an introduction to the mentors and a conversation about the project we will be working on: a rehabilitation project of an existing building to turn into “Maker’s Spaces” for the community – a collaborative workspace inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing. Students brainstormed what they would like to see in their “Maker Space” and discussed how crucial lighting design can factor into large spaces. By the end of the event, students drafted a floorplan of their room.

What are some of the goals for this year? “A final project presentation to stakeholders,” said Judy Torres, Epstein’s Senior Design Engineer and ACE Mentor volunteer. Overall, our mentors want to help them learn and understand more about the AEC industry, and ultimately have fun in the process.

Good luck to Team Epstein and all involved!