Boosting minority involvement in architecture and engineering
August 19, 2020
In Southern California, Stantec continues to support Project Pipeline—a summer camp hosted by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)
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African American architects represent about 2% of all licensed architects (113,000) and African American women represent approximately 0.3%. The Southern California Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (SoCal NOMA) seeks to improve those numbers, in part, by educating and inspiring students from underserved communities through its Project Pipeline Summer Camp.
Stantec was proud to recently support and sponsor SoCal NOMA’s Project Pipeline Summer Camp for the third consecutive year. Held on four consecutive weekends, the camp is designed for students ages 10-17 to benefit from knowledge shared by mutually diverse professional mentors. Camp attendees learn the basics of architecture, participate in group activities, and design projects that connect to practical, current industry conditions.
Learning during a pandemic
At this year’s SoCal NOMA Project Pipeline Summer Camp—held virtually due to the pandemic— students were asked to “redesign” their home, accounting for ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, and reimagine a space where work, play, and learning coexist simultaneously.
SoCal NOMA seeks to advance and support the education and careers of those who have been historically underrepresented in the field of architecture and various allied design and construction professions. Members include architects, designers, civil engineers, structural engineers, interior designers, urban planners, and product manufacturers. Students of varying skill levels and interests are asked to work both individually and collaboratively to address community-focused issues through creativity and design innovation.
In addition to our involvement with the annual Summer Camp, Stantec also awarded scholarships to six deserving NOMAS (NOMA Students) in alignment with our 65th anniversary last year. This year we will be a top sponsor at NOMA’s annual national conference. Stantec will be on-site at the event’s Grad School Fair, where we’ll have the opportunity to interview students for potential career opportunities.
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Students at the 2019 SoCal NOMA Project Pipeline.
Stantec was recently interviewed alongside SoCal NOMA Camp Director Eletrice Harris on KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles, and Stantec’s involvement in the SoCal NOMA Summer Camp was highlighted in a lengthy feature in the Los Angeles Sentinel. Take a look at the SoCal NOMA Virtual Summer Camp Exhibit Hall, created by IBI Architects in conjunction with the SoCal NOMA interns, to learn more about this meaningful initiative.
This year, Stantec is also sponsoring the inaugural DFW NOMA Project Pipeline Camp, hosted by the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (DFW NOMA).
If you’re interested in sponsoring or supporting next year’s Pipeline Summer camps, please reach out to Eletrice Harris (SoCal NOMA) or Gianna Pigford (DFW NOMA).