Ms. Shaina Doherty '00

Girls Who Code
Hi! We are Brooklyn Tech’s branch of Girls Who Code, which is a national organization that aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science by equipping young women with the necessary computing skills to pursue 21st-century opportunities. We uphold and expand these values in every aspect of what we do: we aim to empower in their STEM and future endeavors as we cultivate a community of sisterhood through coding education. Our club meets every Monday and in our sessions, we teach programming languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript, and Web Development skills to our members, meanwhile hosting hackathons, and projects in collaboration with other organizations and clubs. We also offer ample resources and spread awareness of opportunities that are available. This Sunday would be our 10th anniversary of Girls Who Code and there are 8500+ programs established internationally (including this one!) and serving 300,000+ girls. We welcome you to explore us more in this Homecoming event in Room 2N8! 

Dr. MacRae Maxfield

Brooklyn Tech students have participated in NYC Science Olympiad for at least 15 years and competed at the New York State tournament for the last 9 years.

Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school teams from 50 U.S. states compete each year.  There are multiple levels of competition: invitational, regional, state, and national. Invitational tournaments, run by high schools and universities, are unofficial tournaments and serve as practice for regional and state competitions. 

The 23 events fall into 4 categories:
1. purely knowledge-based where a pair of team members take written exams.
2. purely engineering-based where a pair of team members construct a device ahead of time and operate it at the tournament.
3. Hybrid where a pair of team members pre-build a device and operate it or perform hands-on activity while also taking a written exam.
4. Inquiry where members respond to prompts to complete experimentation, solve cyphers, and create and then follow instructions to recreate a complex design.

At each competition, there are 48 competitor slots that must be filled by the 15 team members.  Thus, each member is expected to compete in 3 or 4 events.

Kecia Oneal

Founded 30 years ago, the BTHS National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) junior chapter’s long list of accolades includes being named Pre-College Initiative (PCI) Chapter of the Year (2022-2023) for the region encompassing the American Northeast and Southeast, Canada, and West Africa. This past academic year, a Technite was also named PCI Member of the Year. Mentorship from alumni like Disney Imagineer Lanny Smoot ’73, who has earned over 100 patents and belonged to Columbia University’s NSBE Chapter, also plays a vital role in nurturing students’ engineering career goals. Financial support from alumni and friends like you makes it possible for our students to participate in special opportunities like regional and leadership conferences and the annual convention. With alumni help, Tech chapter members traveled to the 50^th annual convention, March 20-24, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.  Tech’s team won 1^st Place in the Try-Math-a-Lon Competition, among other awards.

Mr. Ali Harb, Mr. Bill Aghassi, and Mr. Marlon Esguerra

Room 1S12 is home to the Ike Heller '43 Computer Integrated Manufacturing Lab, an important component of the Mechatronics and Robotics Major. In this space, computer programming and robotics meet manufacturing. Students utilize an industry-standard software package as well as a combination of traditional metalworking tools and state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. Rapid prototyping using 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines allows students to quickly design and manufacture objects using a variety of materials. These skills are incorporated into the Mechatronics and Robotics sequence of courses, including courses specific to Robotics Engineering, Mechatronics, and Digital Electronics. In addition to earning college credit from these advanced courses, students can earn industry credentials including Autodesk Inventor. Mechatronics and Robotics at Brooklyn Tech is a NYS-approved Career and Technical Education program.  

Once housing part of the aeronautics program, 1S12 was transformed into its current function as a robotics lab through a generous donation from our late alumnus, Isaac Heller ’43. More recently, contributions from Susanne Ellis have enabled the upgrading of equipment, further enhancing the level of expertise gained by students in the Mechatronics and Robotics Major. In addition, the robotics team utilizes this space, and is sponsored by Con Edison, alum Alan Silberstein ‘65 and the Picatinny Arsenal, among others.

Mr. Tom Price and Mr. Mark Rodriguez

Room 3N3 is home to the Aerospace Engineering major and Aerospace  Club. In this space, students utilize state-of-the art flight simulators and engage in engineering design with a focus on aeronautics. In an age of rapid advances in aeronautics and space engineering that usher in the possibility of everyday supersonic travel, a bourgeoning low-Earth-orbit economy, and much more, the tools Aerospace Engineering majors at Tech gain in their courses are fundamental to preparing them to lead in their field. Courses unique to this major include PLTW Principles of Engineering, PLTW Aerospace Engineering, PLTW Computer Integrated Manufacturing, and Flight School. In addition to earning college credit from these advanced courses, which allows Aerospace Engineering majors to advance to higher level courses once in college, preparedness to lead in the field of aerospace engineering is ensured through the opportunity to earn industry credentials, including Autodesk Inventor certifications and the FAA Private Pilot certificate. Aerospace Engineering at Brooklyn Tech is a NYS-approved Career and Technical Education program.

Ms. Elisa Margarita

The state-of-the art Con Edison lab features an aquaponics system, multiple aquariums, computers, a laptop cart, LaMotte kits, and various probes. This assortment of equipment enriches the courses and projects that form the backbone of the Environmental Science Major. Students in the major take Advanced Placement Environmental Science their junior year and Project Lead the Way Environmental Sustainability their senior year. Students in Environmental Science also create and maintain eco-columns for a period of months and conduct water, soil, and air tests, using various probes in the Con Edison lab to test the conditions of the mini ecosystems. Students adjust nutrient levels and other environmental conditions as needed to keep their organisms alive and their environment stable. The juniors also raise trout to learn about the relevance of watersheds and, when the fish reach maturity, release them into a state-approved location as part of a breeding program. Students in Environmental Sustainability design and build a bat house and green roof models. The students work closely with Tech’s Sustainability Coordinator to implement a waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and energy conservation plan for the building. Just outside of the room is a green wall, contained in a former display case, constructed and maintained by Environmental Science students. 

This facility transformed an unused space that was home to an outdated Industrial Chemistry Laboratory created when the building opened in 1933. The original design for the Environmental Lab was based on student designs assigned to the Environmental Classes of 1998, 1999, and 2000. Building the Environmental Science and Engineering lab was made possible with a lead Con Edison grant, a grant from the New York City Council, and support from the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation.

Mr. Rich Singler

Rooms 5N2 and 5N4 are home to the Architecture major. In these spaces, students develop skills in manual drafting, utilize industry-standard design software, and construct models using a range of traditional woodworking tools. To bring these modeling skills into the 21^st century, our students also have access to rapid prototyping equipment including 3D printers and laser cutters. The Architecture sequence of courses includes Architectural Drawing and PLTW Civil Engineering and Architecture in the junior year, and AutoCAD, Building Materials and Fabrication, and Architectural Drawing II/Modeling in the senior year. In addition to earning college credit from some of these advanced courses, students also have the opportunity to earn industry credentials including Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, and OSHA-30. Architecture at Brooklyn Tech is a NYS-approved Career and Technical Education program.

Mr. John Cunningham

The original blueprint of Brooklyn Technical High School contains a greenhouse structure that had been dormant for at least 25 years. With support from the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation and Con Edison, the room was transformed into a hydroponics greenhouse and is utilized as an extension of the Con Edison Lab. The Greenhouse Lab is an indoor agriculture space used for the teaching of science and sustainability. This unique greenhouse includes several different hydroponic farming systems for the growing of a wide variety of leafy greens and herbs, as well as tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and many other types of flowering plants. In total, students use this space to grow up to 500 lbs of fresh food from seed for annual harvest. The greenhouse also includes an aquaponics system, in which the waste from approximately 50 tilapias in a tank undergoes biofiltration and is used to feed plants growing on the top of the tank - an example of a closed loop system. Integrative pest management techniques and worm composting are implemented in the greenhouse classroom as sustainable practices.