Our Crowdfunding Groups
Thank you to everyone who made a gift to this project! While this round of weR Gold closed June 30, you may still support students with your gift by visiting the Rensselaer Giving website.
"The Bronx Trip has been extremely impactful for both the students we visit as well as the RPI students who attend. We've been working with the students at St. Raymond's in the Bronx for about 6 years now in a variety of programs, and have seen individual students grow immensely as our visits have inspired the school to start implementing its own Engineering curriculum. This year, we will be able to expand our outreach and visit multiple schools during our trip." - Sonu Chadalavada, 2022-23 Outreach Coordinator
The Mission
The RPI Engineering Ambassadors (EAs) are a group of RPI engineering students devoted to inspiring younger students with what they learn in their respective majors, while also educating them on the latest technological breakthroughs and real-world challenges. The RPI EAs visit public and private K-12 classrooms and support afterschool and Saturday morning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) clubs. In the classroom, the EAs share presentations and incorporate engaging hands-on activities that show the real-world applications of STEM.
What You're Supporting
You will be supporting a group of at least 12 EAs on their trip to Saint Raymond’s Academy to present on engineering topics such as Drag Force, Water Filtration, and Chemical Engineering Processes. Historically, more than 1,000 high school students have experienced our presentations and activities on each trip that we have made to the Bronx. This trip gives RPI EAs a unique opportunity to engage with students from New York City to enhance their education, and possibly even inspire students to pursue engineering in their future.
A major outcome of all the work that EA does is making engineering and STEM topics accessible to young students of all backgrounds, particularly those who do not have a strong STEM program in their middle or high school. Students in this category may feel like engineering is too hard for them, which is why one of EA’s slogans is “Change the Conversation.” It is rewarding for EAs to see the impact of their work, which is mostly done in classrooms in the New York Capital Region. The trip to St. Raymond’s in the Bronx is an exciting opportunity for both EA as an organization and individual EAs to connect with a different community and change the conversation in as many schools as possible. Our involvement at the high school has also led to the further development of their STEM curriculum and has truly inspired some of the students there.
We need to raise $5,000 in order to fund our visit to St. Raymond’s High School in the Bronx.
Who We Are
The RPI Engineering Ambassadors was created in the spring of 2011, and has had more than 120 ambassadors take part in the organization's activities over the years. Since its inception, the RPI Engineering Ambassadors have reached over 30,000 students in the immediate area and beyond. We achieve our mission by presenting engineering topics directly to students at their schools. Each presentation has an accompanying hands-on activity to drive home the STEM topics discussed in the presentation. Our organization is also very involved with events that promote STEM on campus, including FIRST LEGO League, National Manufacturing Day, Exploring Engineering Day, and many more.
