When engineering student Sophia Pham ’25 interned at DoorDash in Seattle, Washington, she found she had to simplify how she described her work to colleagues in design, project management and marketing areas.
“They didn’t speak engineering language,” Pham said. “They talked business language, designer language, so we needed to easily explain to them how things work, because our work is complicated to explain.”
Honing that skill was the focus of Engineering Communications, a spring 2024 course where Pham and her classmates spent the semester talking with teens who are members of 4-H about engineering, math, science and tech (STEM) topics. This fall, engineering students taking the course are translating their work for young people and adults in the Syracuse Police Athletic/Activities League.
“Previous students have told me that during their internships, they found it challenging to communicate their expertise to their supervisors and colleagues who had no engineering background,” said Hua Wang, senior lecturer in the Cornell Engineering Communications Program, who teaches the Engineering Communications course. “I wanted to give students an opportunity translate their engineering expertise, make it accessible and understandable to audiences with little or no engineering knowledge – and prepare them for future success in the workplace.”
She found a partner in Jamila Walida Simon, civic engagement specialist for New York State 4-H, housed in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Simon saw an opportunity to introduce 4-H youth to STEM education and career paths, while also giving Wang’s students the experience they needed.
They met after Simon presented at a Community Partnership event held by the Einhorn Center. The center has also provided funding support for the project.