A lot has changed in the four years since Brandon Ryan graduated from Cornwall Central High School. He’s grown a neatly trimmed beard; his swimming record has been erased, the school has hired a new principal, and Brandon is now an engineer for Skanska USA.
He returned to his alma mater on Oct. 28 for the eighth annual Engineering Day. By 10 a.m., he had addressed two classes of algebra students, and told them about the projects he’s worked on during his first year on the job.
The annual event has two purposes. It makes students aware of engineering opportunities and it helps them see the relevance of what they’re learning.
The concept didn’t originate here. Lockheed and Honeywell ran similar programs before faculty member Kathy Zammitt organized the first Engineering Day in Cornwall. When she retired, Mike Flannery continued the tradition.
What’s unique about Engineering Day in Cornwall is its size. This year, for example, there were 20 presenters — including two West Point instructors, a half dozen West Point cadets, and a dozen engineering professionals.
The Mid-Hudson Branch of the American Society of Engineers recruited several (but not all) of the presenters. Mr. Flannery was able to bring in three former students.
Besides Brandon Ryan, a Rhode Island graduate, there was China Darin (Stevens), and Bobby Flitsch (Harvard). Miss Darin, a member of the Cornwall class of 2008, gave the students a water flow problem to solve. A year ago, she brought in candy and told the teenagers that college engineering courses aren’t as scary as she once thought.
This year, she reached out to Brandon Ryan, who has been working on the renovation of NYU Hospital in New York City. He offered to take a vacation day to visit the school, but his project manager said it wasn’t necessary. He considered the Cornwall event a good outreach.
Now a mechanical engineer, Mr. Ryan remembered Engineering Days from high school. But he attributed his choice of careers to physics teacher Doug Stack. “There was no one like him,” Mr. Ryan said. “I used his notes for three semesters in college.”
Mr. Flannery, who organized the event, has been anxious to have alumni participate. The students can relate to them, because they’ve come from the same school and have had many of the same experiences.
NOTE: Principal Lynn Imperato attended many of the sessions, and particularly enjoyed the class that built a catapult.
