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[West Omaha] 

Youth explore engineering

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April 6, 2010, at 07:00 AM

Lamp, Rynearson & Associate's Rain Garden.

Courtesy of Lamp, Rynearson & Associates.

Lamp, Rynearson & Associates hosts an Exploring Post for youth to explore careers in civil engineering.

This month, over thirty metro-area youth will explore engineering with Lamp, Rynearson, & Associates, the engineering and surveying firm based in West Omaha known for their work on the Qwest Center, Offutt Air Force Base and Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Boy Scouts of America Exploring career education program is part of Mid-America Council Learning for Life, whose purpose is “to provide experiences to help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults.”

Exploring “posts” like the current one at Lamp, Rynearson & Associates, according to Exploring Executive Rebecca Williford, are based on a dynamic relationship between youth and community organizations that help young people pursue their special interests before heading to college.

“The program allows kids to get hands-on experience in a career they are curious about,” said Williford, “this can help open doors and insight into the possible future vocation, or show the student that’s not really what they want to do.”

Posts are hosted throughout the year and typically last six-to-eight weeks with one-hour meetings each week. The programs are open to all metro youth, scouts and non-scouts, ages 15-20.

Local participating organizations include those in information systems, manufacturing, medical sciences, human resources and environmental services.

Lamp, Rynearson and Associates Structural Department Manager John Hill has led Exploring Posts for the last three years, something he said he enjoys immensely. President of the American Society of Civil Engineers Nebraska Section, he and his colleagues provide workshops focusing on different aspects of civil engineering to encourage students to find the path they want to follow.

Activities consist of a GPS scavenger hunt, topography, learning about green design, and touring Thiele Geotech Incorporated.

Students enjoy hands-on immersion in the programs, said Hill. The green design workshop, as just one example, includes work with the company’s Rain Garden, a bioretension basin that is designed to capture and filter storm water.

By the end of the post, according to Williford, students gain self-confidence, experience positive social interaction, help make ethical choices and learn to fulfill one’s responsibility to society as a whole.

The post after Lamp, Rynearson & Associates is with The Omaha Royals, where students will learn about sports management. New posts this year include those with The Rose Theatre, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network and SKAR Advertising.

Registration for multi-week Explorer posts is just $20, but with the strong support of scholarship sponsors, Williford said, no student is ever turned away.

To fill out an online career interest survey, visit the Boy Scouts website.

For more information or to register visit omahaexploring.org. For information about Lamp, Rynearson & Associates, located at 14710 W Dodge Rd, visit lra-inc.com.