Annapolis

About Us

Founded in the spring of 2007, ACE Annapolis began as a way to show Annapolis High School students the breadth of career opportunities available to them in the fields of architecture, engineering and construction.

Meeting every two weeks with mentors drawn from leading area firms, the students worked on projects that demonstrated key principles and techniques used in the building industry.

Field trips to major construction projects, such as the 140,000-square-foot Wesley Brown Field House at the U.S. Naval Academy, gave students a behind-the-scenes look at how those principles and techniques are employed in real-world settings.

Twelve students participated in the ACE Annapolis program during its first year, with mentoring provided by four area professionals. Plans are now under way to expand both the size and scope of the program for the 2007-2008 program year.

Our Projects

Students in the 2007 ACE Annapolis program focused on a critical element of many construction projects – the truss. After explaining how trusses work and where they’re employed, the mentors challenged students to compete to see who could design and build the strongest truss.

A load tester was then brought in to determine which designs could withstand the heaviest load. Designers of the strongest trusses won cash prizes. Affiliate leaders are now planning new projects and more field trips for the next program year.

Participate in ACE!

If you’d like to experience ACE’s challenges, opportunities and rewards for yourself, just contact the ACE leader listed in the upper right-hand corner of this page.