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By Carol Muskin, Eduction Guide

On Saturday, July 7th, 2018, an intrepid group of Education Guides (Lisa Ciota, Nancy Straus, Kevin Griebenow, Tom Kinsella and Carol Muskin) led a group of exchange students participating in the BP Global STEM Academies program on a specially-designed Science of Architecture tour. This program put on in collaboration with AFS Intercultural Programs – the largest and oldest high school exchange program in the US – is designed for high school students interested in pursuing opportunities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields. Education Guide Carol Muskin has long volunteered with AFS and was instrumental in recommending the Chicago Architecture Center’s Science of Architecture tour to this year’s program coordinator, Jenny Davis. Carol connected Jenny with Angela Esposito to set up this special Saturday morning tour which combined elements of two of the Education Department’s core tours: Science of Architecture and Student Loop.

This was the first time the BP Global STEM Academies program was held in Chicago and befitting its Chicago location, this year had a special emphasis on architecture. Based at Elmhurst College, the 31 high school students from 10 countries (Egypt, Brazil, China, Germany, UK, India, South Africa, France, Mexico, and the US) spent a month exploring Chicago and the scientific expertise available here. In addition to our Science of Architecture tour, students also visited the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, went to the top of Willis Tower and learned about Mies van der Rohe from a special exhibit at the Elmhurst Museum. They also visited the forensic architecture firm Rath, Rath & Johnson. Other activities included trips to Argonne National Labs, an Invenergy renewable energy wind farm, as well as a visit to Museum of Science where the saw the Dream Big IMAX film which showcases female engineers. Last, but not least, they even saw a Chicago Cubs game and sampled deep dish pizza.

The Science of Architecture workshop is typically a 45 minute in classroom experience reviewing the basic forces and structures of architecture (e.g., gravity, tension, compression, truss, cantilever, etc.), followed by a 45 minute walking tour where students can see these science concepts and architectural structures in real life. Since the students had so much background knowledge, guides were able to compress the classroom component into a short introduction. As the group toured, the Guides discussed the architectural structures in use in buildings and how those structures handled scientific forces. This tour is often given to school groups of 4th through 8th graders, so it was a pleasure to work with high school students who have a special interest in science.

Since the vast majority of students spoke English as a second language, the guides provided the students with a vocabulary handout for review before arriving at the Railway Exchange Building. Once the students got out on the tour and “rubbed” shoulders with such great buildings as the Symphony Center, the Monadnock and Federal Plaza, any English languages barriers fell away as the group all discovered the science of architecture together. It was exciting to be part of introducing talented students to the challenges of designing buildings and the Education Guides’ love for Chicago and its architecture. Jenny reported that when the program ended in late July several students expressed a desire to pursue architecture as a career as a result of this year’s program.