The Mascaro Center often partners with educational centers to help them to enrich their curricula with sustainability-focused content and on-campus experiences.
In the classroom, MCSI's dedicated students, faculty, and staff provide engaging, hands-on lessons that deepen students' understanding of sustainability and STEM. We additionally engage students' interests in sustainability, engineering, and more at University facilities through interactive tours and activities led by our educational staff.
In-Classroom Education
The Mascaro Center's associated students, faculty, and staff often go into the classroom and engage students in hands-on lessons centered around sustainability, STEM, and the environment. Our faculty are highly experienced in the development and execution of sustainability education modules at various grade levels, as well as in leading interactive activities in the classroom that teach students about sustainability principles through direct engagement.
MCSI has partnered with several schools, including Allegheny Traditional Academy, Manchester Academic Charter School, Lincoln Elementary School, and Uniontown Area High School, to help them expose their students to sustainability through a cross-disciplinary approach. As a result of these partnerships, hundreds of students have learned about sustainability, STEM, and more through in-classroom lessons and activities, hands-on design-build challenges, and entertaining scientific demonstrations.
On-Campus Experiences
The Mascaro Center frequently collaborates with schools to provide their students with an immersive opportunity to explore their interests in sustainability, the environment, higher education, STEM, and more at the University of Pittsburgh's campus. MCSI faculty, students, and staff regularly engage visiting student groups in hands-on activities that deepen their understanding of sustainability and engineering, as well as provide tours of Pitt's campus that illustrate the variety of ways that they can engage with sustainability once in college. School tours can additionally be tailored to best fit students' interests, with the potential for collaboration with other University institutions such as the Office of Sustainability or the School of Business.
MCSI has previously partnered with a variety of schools, including Allegheny Traditional Academy and Uniontown Area High School, to provide their students with an educational and enjoyable experience on Pitt's campus.
Future City Competition
The Future City competition is a project-based, hands-on STEM competition for students grades 6 through 8 which annually challenges entrants to develop a solution to a citywide sustainability issue using the Engineering Design Process.
The Mascaro Center's associated faculty and graduate students have served as mentors for various participating student groups for several years, and help to advance students' knowledge of sustainable engineering principles and urban approaches to sustainable design.
Multiple groups from Pittsburgh Carmalt, Manchester Academic Charter School, and Franklin Regional Middle School have won several special awards in regional competitions with the guidance of MCSI's faculty and students.
Past K-12 Initiatives
Explore MCSI's past education and outreach initiatives for K-12 students in Pennsylvania.