Powering Kids Through STEAM Teaching

Aspect’s Community Team (ACT) was created in 2017 to engage more non-profits and Aspect staff in philanthropy. Aspect employees co-lead the group and focus on organizing yearly volunteering events where staff give time, resources, and technical expertise. These investments take many forms:

Through a bottom-to-top decision-making approach, ACT gives a platform for all staff to voice how Aspect should be investing in the community.  With how much the pandemic changed the education landscape, ACT put STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) outreach at the top of its 2021 priority list. Members wanted to use their skills to help students and educators who may feel overwhelmed with virtual learning.

Photo Credit: 2021 EarthGen Virtual Student Summit

Holding a Mirror Up to Budding STEAM Leaders

“Before we even crafted our first resume, many of us were already asked the big question: What do you want to be when you grow up? When you’re young, it can be challenging to find the answer simply because you haven’t figured it out yet. Hearing from professionals opens new worlds to students, especially marginalized identities. ”
— Cleo Pineda, Engineer

In alignment with ACT's mission to increase community involvement through education outreach, Aspect volunteers collaborated with EarthGen (formerly WA Green Schools) and participated as guest speakers at the Annual Clark County Virtual Student Summit career panel to elementary – high school-age students as well as educators learning science concepts. ACT volunteers include all Aspect career levels, genders, and ethnicities to reflect the diversity in STEM—they serve as mirrors for potentially underrepresented students who need role models to look up to.

In addition to providing valuable insight into the technical side of their professions, Aspect volunteers also shared stories of their career path. Some prepared informational videos while others led live presentations on ZOOM to show pictures of cool projects they’ve worked on, discuss their college journey, and even play games to introduce important environmental concepts.

EarthGen’s Curriculum Helps Future Scientists and Engineers 

The Virtual Student Summit was just one of many parts that make up EarthGen’s programs. The non-profit organization aims to support youth, educators, and their communities that may have limited access to quality instruction, extended learning opportunities, and funding. Some of their science-based, action-oriented programs include professional development training for teachers and their Stormwater Stewards environmental science unit for middle and high schoolers. Read more about the important work they do here and go HERE to donate (tax-deductible).

“Speaking to kids was initially more intimidating. They were silent during our talk, so it was difficult to have any idea of how anything we were saying was being received. It took some gentle encouragement, but once we got them participating in the chat they were a very insightful audience and I felt encouraged for these future STEAM careers.”
— ACT Volunteer and GIS Lead Robyn Pepin
“At the core I believe, and some research has certainly shown, that for children to see a ‘real life’ scientist or STEAM professional, particularly a woman of color, has a huge impact on how they see their futures and potential and that in others. So that is the foundation that drives me. In addition, I love to share about how incredible our earth is. Lots of young people don’t realize that geology or earth science or even environmental science are robust fields that they can enter.”
— ACT Volunteer and Senior Geologist Mei Lanier-Kamaha’o
“In the midst of a challenging and isolating year, it was crucial for students to have the opportunity to gather virtually, learn together, and connect over their shared interest of taking environmental action. EarthGen’s 2020-21 Annual Clark County Student Summit had professionals provide inspiration, knowledge and excitement for the students. It allowed students to understand that there are many careers that benefit the environment.”
— Shannon Brennan (Outreach Specialist at EarthGen)

Other ACT 2021 Highlights

Back in April, ACT leadership mailed out native wildflower seeds to green-thumbed staff looking for a spring project, hosted a friendly "who can pick-up the most trash?" contest, and coordinated a virtual happy hour in celebration of Earth Day.

Then in October, upholding the community team’s fall tradition of restoring a riparian area along the Snoqualmie River, ACT partnered with Stewardship Partners to organize an in-person volunteer experience at Carnation Farms.  

Got an Idea for ACT?

Would you like scientists and engineers to work with your non-profit group? Please contact Cleo Pineda and Lisa Maeda to learn more.

Feeling Good, Doing Good: Volunteering in the Pandemic for Riparian Restoration

On a crisp October 2021 day, Aspect staff, partners, kids (and one dog) helped restore a riparian area along the Snoqualmie River at Carnation Farms by clearing invasive blackberries and planting almost 100 trees and shrubs. In what has become a fall volunteer tradition, Aspect staff have worked with Stewardship Partners and Carnation Farms for years to volunteer and plant in riparian areas to help restore habitat along the Snoqualmie River.

This was our first big volunteer event in Pandemic times and everyone was excited to focus time and energy on giving back to our earth and water environment in Western Washington.

Reflecting on Working and Seeing People in Person

One thing quickly felt by all was how great it was to see people, meet people, and get outside.

“I really enjoyed it, it wasn’t too mentally exhausting for a Saturday morning which was perfect for giving space for small talk with each other. Another fun note was just meeting everyone’s plus 1’s too, everyone was lovely. Especially planting a tree with Milo and Athena, that was adorable and went along with the “stress-free/non-work” energy of the day.”
— Daniel Chang, Staff Engineer
“These volunteer events with Stewardship Partners are a win-win-win – it amplifies the importance of their Partners work; riparian habitat is restored; and we have a lovely day out building community within our company. ”
— Owen Reese, Principal Water Resources Engineer
“The pandemic has greatly affected many areas of our lives and one of them was our ability to volunteer (in-person). I felt very grateful for the opportunity to get to know some of my peers better while we planted trees and pulled out blackberry bushes. As an engineer, I am familiar with riparian restoration but I’ve never actually participated in it out in the “real world” before. It felt nice knowing that our team was proactively working towards a common goal together.”
— Cleo Pineda, Staff Engineer
“I really like getting outside, so that’s always a win for me, but it was especially meaningful to see people from Aspect in person again, it’s been too long since having that face-to-face connection.”
— Lisa Maeda, HR Generalist
“Thank you to all from Aspect Consulting who came out to help us restore riparian habitat along the Snoqualmie River at Carnation Farms. It was such a great day and a great way to continue our partnership. You all made a huge impact!”
— Chris LaPointe, Director of Ecological Restoration at Stewardship Partners

Since 2017, Planting to Build Riparian Zones and Construct Rain Gardens

Aspect has worked with Stewardship Partners since 2017 and this is our third event at Carnation Farms (2018, 2019, and 2021) and the sixth event total (the others are two work parties on the Rain Garden at Carnation Elementary + participating in a STEM night at Carnation Elementary).

Aspect Community Team (ACT) Activated

ACT is Aspect’s Community Team, which helps non-profit causes throughout the year and is led from within by Aspect staff. This Fall event is one ritual the team does – all are volunteers from Aspect staff -- as well as gather for other key programs such as STEM education events for underrepresented groups and participate in pro bono projects where we can share our Earth + Water expertise.

Philanthropy in the Science and Engineering Industry: Our Approach

Like many professional services firms, Aspect promotes a giving back philosophy as a core part of who we are. Defining what philanthropy means to a company brings big-picture questions to ensure an equitable approach that makes the most impact – Is it simply donating money? Is it donating brain power and time? Who makes the decisions on where, how, and when to contribute?

Aspect recently went through a shift in how we approach donations of time and money, which culminated in less a top-down and more of a bottom-up, many voices program: something we call “ACT” or Aspect’s Community Team. We were honored to be featured in the latest issue of Engineering Inc, the American Council for Engineering Companies (ACEC’s) national magazine while we’re honing our approach. Read the feature here.

How does your organization coordinate charitable giving? Any suggestions for best practices?

Let us know and we’ll share your feedback.

Engineers Without Borders USA Spotlights Seattle Volunteer Eset Alemu

In honor of National Volunteer Month, Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) put the spotlight on engineers who give their time and talents to improve infrastructure in communities around the world. Their blog post features an interview with Eset Alemu, a Seattle-based engineer who is co-leading the Puget Sound Professionals of EWB-USA for several projects in Nicaragua. She also is the current president of the ASCE Seattle Section and is helping with transition for the President-Elect, Aspect’s Principal Geotechnical Engineer Henry Haselton, who will step into the role in September.

Read EWB-USA’s full post here.

Aspect’s Principal Geologist Dave Cook, who has volunteered with Engineers Without Borders USA since its inception, says, "EWB-USA is engineering with soul. I, like many, still believe in founder Bernard Amadei's ethos and why this organization was originally founded. Engineers, scientists and other professionals should all be able to work in harmony to deliver technical skills that are so hard to come by in the developing world."

In addition to Dave’s contributions to EWB-USA, Aspect has supported EWB-USA financially over the past several years.  Aspect supports all volunteers, particularly those whose mission is capacity building around Earth + Water problems.  https://www.ewb-usa.org/donate/

What to Do When Your Office Moves: Plant 900 Trees

Taking advantage of a day out of the office during our Seattle office move, the Aspect Community Team (ACT) partnered with Stewardship Partners and Carnation Farms to help with their ongoing riparian restoration efforts along the Snoqualmie River. It was a sunny, beautiful October day, and the fall colors were rich throughout the valley. Eleven employees make the trek to Carnation and spent a few hours planting shrubs and trees including western red cedar, snowberry, salmonberry, and cottonwoods. We had help from four stewardship partner field crew who also placed cottonwood stakes among the trees and shrubs.

Aspect’s volunteer staff donated their day to plant over 900 trees along the Snoqualmie River to help Stewardship Partners and Carnation Farms.

Why Carnation Farms? A brief history:

In 1908, the first 360 acres of farmland were purchased, and Carnation Farms was created. Now the farm totals 818 acres and includes an 8-acre organic garden, educational programs, event space, hiking trails, and is bordered by a stretch of the Snoqualmie River. A byproduct of the agricultural growth in the region was the destruction of the natural riparian ecosystems along the river throughout the valley. Stewardship Partners has been working with Carnation Farms to restore the habitat along the Snoqualmie River as a component to their adopt-a-buffer program.

Why is riparian habitat restoration important?

Planting native trees and shrubs is the primary component of restoration and maintenance of healthy riparian ecosystems. As Stewardship Partners explains, the strips of native trees and shrubs provide cooling shade, control erosion and provide habitat for hundreds of fish and wildlife species. Trees and shrubs actively absorb air pollution throughout their lifetime, storing carbon and fighting climate change.

What is the impact of a half-day of service?

In about 3-4 hours of diligent work we planted 960 shrubs, trees, and stakes across approximately 0.5 acres of riparian habitat along the Snoqualmie River. This effort would have taken at least a week without the ACT volunteers. Stewardship Partners will do some maintenance the area and in about a year we should be able to see if our efforts truly take root.

Previous and ongoing ACTivities and service projects:

Aspect has partnered with Stewardship Partners previously for the design and installation of the Carnation Elementary School raingarden. The raingarden installation is part of a greater 12,000 Rain Gardens effort, and Aspect is also in coordination for another volunteer raingarden project! Stewardship Partners has been a great organization to work with and Aspect is a proud supporter-- pro-bono technical design, education and consulting services, volunteer labor, and funding.

Aspect Staff Volunteers Design and Muscle for new Rain Gardens at Carnation Elementary School

Over this past summer, Aspect’s Owen Reese was invited by Stewardship Partners to provide pro bono design for a pair of rain gardens at Carnation Elementary School. The project is part of a long-standing partnership between the Snoqualmie Tribe and Stewardship Partners to plant and promote native species and educate communities on water quality protection. The goal of this demonstration project is to improve infiltration, replace non-native vegetation, and create wildlife habitat. The rain gardens will infiltrate runoff from approximately 6,500 square feet of the school’s roof.  

This fall, several Aspect staff, along with volunteers from Stewardship Partners and Carnation Elementary School, gave a Saturday to prepare the rain gardens for planting by shoveling dirt to create the final shape of the rain gardens and place 4 tons of river rock to line the conveyance channels. It was great fun and a good workout!

The school kids will be planting the rain gardens in a few weeks, incorporating native plants selected by the Snoqualmie Tribe as culturally significant.

Dave Cook Helping Future Professionals Build Great Resumes on January 10

Aspect’s Principal Geologist Dave Cook will man the “Resume Review” station at the University of Washington’s College of Engineering Career Fair Prep Night on January 10. Dave will be giving out free advice to hopeful future professionals on what to do and, most importantly, what not to do when engineering an inviting resume for the working world. Learn more HERE.

Rebuilding Around the World: Henry Haselton’s Ongoing Volunteer Work

Principal Geotechnical Engineer Henry Haselton is providing pro bono engineering services to help rebuild and protect schools, villages, and farms affected by natural disasters in Nepal and Tanzania.

Henry has been working with All Hands Volunteers to rebuild schools that were destroyed after the massive earthquake in Nepal in April 2015. Most recently, he helped with site development and foundation recommendations for the East Point Academy in Melamchi, which is about 25 miles north of Katmandu. The Nepalese government prepared standard school designs, and they need engineering help to make the structures work at particular locations. He also designed an earthquake-resistant retaining wall to support the school in its new location. Henry is now embarking on work for another school project higher up in the Himalayas.

photo courtesy of All Hands Volunteers

Earlier this year, Henry provided geotechnical consultation for a sugar cane producer who is affiliated with a non-governmental organization south of Moshi, Tanzania to help alleviate flooding of villages and farms in the area. The engineering work was led by master’s students from Tu Delft in the Netherlands. Henry’s work focused on extending levees and installing weirs to mitigate flooding, and included recommendations on geotechnical field and laboratory testing, slope stability analyses, and general geotechnical recommendations for the levees.