STEM Studio ’23: MKE Skates

Scholarships Now Available!

Through a generous donation, we have a limited number of scholarships available for STEM Studio design workshops. Use promo code SS2023 when you register.

What if students took the lead to get a new skateboard park up and running in Milwaukee?

Over the 2023-24 school year, students in a freshman engineering class at UWM will execute the conceptual engineering planning for a skateboard park using traditional design elements such as ramps, rails, etc. for a skateboard park that can be installed on a temporary basis at one or more locations within Milwaukee. The popup park is intended as a first step to build support for and locate a permanent facility in the city.  We’re looking to engage teams of students to identify and build a case for sites that could serve as a locations for a popup or permanent facility.  The components UWM students design and prototype, as well as candidate sites backed by K-12 students will be presented to City officials next spring with the goal of having a popup skateboard park up and running next summer.

Objectives

The goal for these sessions is well defined program to engage students in thinking about the variety of factors that might impact the viability of a potential site– size and configuration, economics, access, how neighbors and their elected representatives might view such a facility, etc.  The program will also identify key opportunities for K-12 students involved in the site selection challenge to interact with UWM students working on component design.

The key output of this effort is a program guide for a community-engaged project that will run across 4-6 schools over the 2023-24 school year. The program guide will detail:

• Key project events (kick-off, review, showcase) that all schools will participate in
• Field experiences participating schools might leverage to inform and support the work of students and teachers engaged in the project
• Community partners available to support the work of students and teachers
• How near-peer mentors might support schools and teachers in this work
• On-going support/coaching for participating teachers
• Artifacts students will produce as part of the effort
• Where and how project activities connect back to curriculum standards

Schedule

Who Should Attend

The project will target Milwaukee area middle and high school students.

Sign up if you value the opportunity to:

• elevate the voice of students and help them become advocates for the changes they want to see
• have students explore a range of issues around equitable access to water that only come from a real-world project
• connect your students to expertise and resources beyond the school community

Participation in the vision and design for the program ensures that your goals and needs are reflected in the structure of the project and the implementation support we offer over the school year.