ACE Mentor Program

Frederick

Contacts

Email us at:
FrederickMD@ACEMentor.org 

Local News
5/2010
May Newsletter
3/2010
March Newsletter
2/2010
First ACE Graduate hired at Bechtel
1/2010
Linganore seniors design ’ideal high school
12/2009
December Newsletter


Articles
Job Descriptions
Architecture Career Profile
Architect – Frank Lloyd Wright


Awards
View our awards.

Scholarships and Internships
1/2010
List of internships and scholarships

NIST Summer Program

Society of American Military Engineers


Mentors
Thanks to our mentors and sponsors who have helped us this past year in making our affiliate such a success. View our mentors.

Sponsors
Bechtel Corporation
Bechtel Women’s Group
Gilbane
Loiederman Soltesz Associates
Linton Shafer Warfield & Garrett, P.A
Morgan Keller
Severn, O’Connor, & Kresslein, P.A
TIME of CCBC
Trimble Navigation
Weyerhaeuser

School/College Supporters
Carnegie Mellon University
FCPS
FCPS Career & Technology Center
Frederick Community College
Johns Hopkins University
Loyola University Maryland
Pennsylvania College of Technology
University of Maryland
Virginia Tech University
West Virginia University

Board of Directors
Our board is comprised of local industry leaders who make a significant contribution to our affiliate. We are grateful for their continuing support.
Bryan Burke – Chairperson
Marty Crabbs – Vice Chairperson
Carol Ritz – Secretary
Sandy Knight – Treasurer
Wayne Bergstrom
Jodie Brinton
Chuck Foltyn
Will Hayden
Alan Imhoff
Donna Leight
Gary Orton
Claudia Stephens
   Kristine Pearl

Forms
Parent Consent Form

Construction Site Tour Worksheet

Field Trip Permission Form

Program Evaluation Form

About Us

The Frederick Affiliate of the ACE Mentor Program began in 2005 with a partnership between Bechtel Corporation, Frederick County Public Schools and ACE. In our fifth year of existence, the Frederick Affiliate includes more than ten companies and organizations and eight teams. The program, which runs during the school year, is open to any high school student interested in learning more about a career in the building industry. Typically, meetings are held every two weeks for two hours after school at the offices of one of the sponsoring companies.

The key to the effectiveness of the program is the support and efforts of the mentors. Mentors are professionals in the industry who willingly share their knowledge of the industry and passion for their work with students who are eager to learn more about careers in architecture, construction and engineering.

The heart of this program is its focus on projects that simulate real-world situations. Through these projects, teams of students under the mentorship of industry professionals transform their ideas from abstract concepts into concrete solutions.

The result is a comprehensive "everyday" look at what architects, engineers, and contractors do to create the kinds of buildings in which we live, work, and play.

Our History

Started The Frederick Affiliate of the ACE Mentor Program started in 2005-2006 with 36 students on three teams; the program grew the second year to 40 students and four teams. One of the teams, consisting of second-year participants, won honorable mention in ACE’s national design challenge. The 2007-2008 program began with over 50 students on five teams. That year’s second-year students, who met at the LSA facility, won the ACE National Design Competition with their winning transportation project. In (2008-2009) 90 applicants applied to the program, and 70 students were accepted. Nine seniors received scholarships at the end of the year, one of which was an ACE National scholarship.  In (2009-2010) 88 students applied to the program and 84 students were accepted.  We have 16 returning students, 21 first year students meeting at Gilbane’s office at Frederick High school, and 45 first year students meeting at Bechtel. The student demographics represent all nine of Frederick County Public Schools in addition to St. Johns Catholic Prep and a home schooled student.  

Our Team Projects

Projects completed during previous ACE years included:

• Firehouse
• Parks, one with a large aquatic center and another with an indoor extreme adventure park
• Teen centers
• School and historic building restorations
• College building renovation

Current projects include: hydroelectric dam, pedestrian bridge, an ideal high school, a parking garage, and urban reuse of an old building in Downtown Frederick.

During the early part of the 15-session program, the teams visit a construction site, hear talks by industry experts and worked with guest mentors. They then created detailed architectural drawings, construction schedules, equipment and labor lists, budgets and other materials necessary to define and articulate their project solutions.
At the end of the program, the teams present their solutions at an awards ceremony attended by local business, government and educational leaders; students’ families and friends; and teachers, counselors and mentors. At the ceremony, scholarships are awarded and recognition certificates distributed. 

Our Sessions

For first-year students, the ACE sessions include presentation in the following areas: construction; estimating; landscape architecture; project management; public speaking; scheduling; surveying and; several engineering disciplines such as: chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, nuclear, structural, and piping. Students who participate in a second year of ACE, concentrate on the design competition. There sessions are focused on the design topic and may include mock Planning Commission Meetings and site field trips.

Special sessions throughout the year are available for all of the students included a college fair; attended by colleges from Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Also scheduled in January is a college panel session including former ACE students. 
 

Participate in ACE!

If you’d like to experience ACE’s challenges, opportunities and rewards for yourself, send an email to our address in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Photos From Our Past Session

<p>Mentor Bryan Burke discussing future plans to ACE students.</p>
<p>ACE students plan during the estimating and scheduling session.</p>
<p>ACE students involved in our team building exercise at our first session.</p>
<p>ACE students gathering materials  the University of Maryland ambassadors.</p>
<p>ACE mentors and students being shown around the Frederick News-post Facility by Corinne Cheairs.</p>
<p>ACE student Blake Hubbell speaking with Allan Campbell, one of West Virginia Universitys ambassadors at our college fair.</p>

Photos From Our Past Session

<p>Student brainstorming session in teams.</p>
<p>Team presentation of brainstorming session.</p>
<p>First Session of the 2006-2007 ACE Mentor Program. Our Teambuilding Exercise- Jump Rope.</p>
<p>Teambuilding Leader, Andy Nicholas of TEAMLink Inc, demonstrates the value of communication in building teams.</p>
<p>Students meet with representatives  the University of Maryland, Architecture School during the college fair.</p>
<p>ACE Mentor assists team in building a bridge out of newspaper as part of the Civil Structural hands-on exercise.</p>
<p>Kinsley Construction Site- Frederick, MD ACE Field Trip</p>
<p>ACE Session -  Bridge Building Contest </p>

More Photos From Our Past Session

<p>Three ACE students who returned for a second year of ACE proudly show their final paper bridge.</p>
<p>ACE students meeting with college representative  Bucknell on college night .</p>
<p>Donned in personal protection equipment (PPE), an ACE student builds her team’s piping project during the hands-on exercise.</p>
<p>During the session on construction processes, the teams had fun working on a hands-on exercise where they built the most accurate catapult.</p>
<p>Two students helping to construct their teams catapult before a launch contest.</p>

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