Fairfield University’s School of Engineering hosted a series of SuSTEMability Day events at the Innovation Annex this spring for local youths from Davenport Ridge Elementary School in Stamford, Connecticut. These events were made possible by the E2 Energy to Educate Grant offered through Constellation Energy, a leading competitive energy company that provides power, natural gas, renewable energy, and energy management products and services.

SuSTEMability is a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) outreach program that engages School of Engineering students and faculty with students and educators from local schools. Programming focuses on sustainable energy and environmental efforts within engineering. 

Mentored by Fairfield associate professor of electrical and biomedical engineering Uma Balaji, PhD; assistant professor of electrical and biomedical engineering John Drazan, PhD; assistant professor of the practice of electrical and biomedical engineering Susan Freudzon, PhD; and School of Engineering undergraduates Lorenzo Arabia '25, Rishi Black '25, Stephen Borrelli '25, Isabella Carrano '24, Noah Duncan '25, Brianna Duswalt '23, Margaret Millar '25, William McLaughlin '25, and Kobi Okpoti '23, the elementary school students built wind-powered LED lamps and solar fans, and participated in a graphing activity to test a hypothesis. High school students of Dr. Drazen’s from Fairfield Prep also served as mentors.

“SuSTEMability is working to create a STEM pipeline in underrepresented youth populations — the primary participants of the program, and also the most vulnerable to the global problem of sustainability,” said Dr. Balaji. “Through interesting hands-on STEM activities, young children creatively engage in solutions that encourage a sustainable future. With support from the Center for Social Impact, it is anticipated that this program will continue to grow.”

Fairfield University alumnus and principal of Davenport Ridge Elementary School Michael Pisseri ’97, MA’00, partnered with the School of Engineering after reading a news story about last year’s SuSTEMability events with Bridgeport’s Cesar Batalla School and the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club. Connecting over the summer, Pisseri and the engineering faculty developed a specific lesson plan for his students, who have had previous exposure to STEM education through a maker’s space at their own school.

A total of 120 Davenport Ridge fifth graders participated in the series of events at the Innovation Annex. Of his students’ experience, Pisseri said, “They were solving problems with hands-on learning that focused on collaboration and higher-order thinking skills. The students were excited to be on a college campus and to see where they could go in the future. As an alum, it was even more exciting for me — to see them on Fairfield's campus.”

To learn more about the School of Engineering, visit fairfield.edu/engineering.