Adventures in Engineering is a not-for-profit educational organization headquartered in Tampa, FL.
We provide a K-12 introduction to Engineering via summer camps, school programs, and online distributed content.
Our Mission
To help K-12 students prepare for the changing world by learning problem solving skills through STEAM curriculum.
Our Vision
That K-12 students will improve in brainstorming and collaboration, designing skills, systematic problem solving techniques, enjoyment of STEAM topics and knowledge of possible STEAM careers.
The Changing World
The concept is a simple one… the more students receive early exposure to STEAM concepts, the more likely they are to pursue math and science while remaining open to technical and engineering careers. The earlier you get a child interested in STEAM, the more confident they become in their abilities, and the more they will open their mind to outside-the-box thinking and innovation.
According to the U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov/stem), today only 16 percent of American high school seniors are proficient in mathematics and interested in a STEAM career. This is a tragedy for the United States, its children, and its future. Programs like those developed by Adventures in Engineering will help to improve this statistic.
Why Engineering?
Engineering involves the application of Science, Technology, Art and Math to make products that are useful to people. Thus, when your children learn Engineering, they are really learning about all aspects of STEAM in their most useful, day-to-day form. If you look at the items you use today, chances are that an engineer was involved in its design or production… your alarm clock, your toothpaste, your breakfast cereal, your vitamin, your shoes, your make-up, your car, the roads, the bridges, the building where you work, your smartphone and all of its apps… you get the idea. Engineering is everywhere! Once children see the world in this way, learning about Engineering becomes an exciting and fun world of endless possibilities.
Our Programs
After-School Enrichment and In-School Field Days for Grades K-12
Adventures in Engineering would love to bring engineering enrichment to your school! Our after-school programs and in-school fields trips can be tailored to your needs, age group, timeframe, and specific interests. To inquire, please contact us at AdventuresInEng@gmail.com
Summer Camp for Grades K-8
Weekly, themed, day camp sessions for children who have recently completed Grades K-8 introduce children to engineering using fun projects and activities, team-building exercises, and invention creation labs.
Summer Camp Volunteering for Grades 9-12
For teens interested in STEAM, we have limited opportunities for volunteer camp counselors. Your teen will be able to learn about Engineering while also teaching the basics to younger children.
“While we teach, we learn.” – Seneca, ancient Roman philosopher
Community Outreach
The Adventures in Engineering Community Outreach Program serves as a way for us to reach our Vision. Our goal is to partner with local children’s homes, hospitals, and underprivileged schools to allow these students the opportunity to learn and flourish through developing the problem-solving skills used in STEAM programs.
We participate in various education-related community activities, such as The Great American Teach-In and the Hillsborough County STEM Fair. If you have ideas on other places where we can be involved, please contact us at AdventuresInEng@gmail.com.
Special Events
If you would like to hire us to bring some fun, educational, STEAM activities to your next event or gathering, please contact us at AdventuresInEng@gmail.com.
Board of Directors
Mary Saville, Co-Founder
Mary graduated with honors from the University of Virginia in Chemical Engineering. During and after college, she worked in process and manufacturing engineering in pharmaceutical and refinery plants. Mary also worked in project management consulting in Orlando with PMA Associates.
In 2005, Mary began private tutoring for individuals and educational non-profits in central Virginia. She taught high school math and science for several years before designing her own curriculum for two new STEM classes. Eventually, over 100 homeschooled and alternative-ed students were able to experience STEM concepts through hands-on challenges. Mary formed corporate-educational partnerships that brought innovative materials into the classroom to use in design competitions.
In the school year 2012-13, Mary’s STEM 2 class was given the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Award. Approximately 15 high school InvenTeams are selected annually to invent and prototype a product. The class presented their work, a turbine for capturing shear wind energy from traffic flow, at MIT in June 2013.
Upon moving to Tampa, Mary and Leslie Wall founded Adventures In Engineering, a Tampa non-profit organization, whose mission is to introduce young students to Engineering concepts, applications, and career paths in an exciting and accessible way.
Mary has four children, ages 6-13, and loves living in Tampa.
Leslie Wall, Co-Founder
Leslie holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University. Leslie co-founded Adventures in Engineering with Mary while also stay-at-home mothering her two children. Prior to AIE, Leslie used her love of math and science while tutoring at a local elementary school in Tampa, serving as an educator for the Great American Teach-In and Junior Achievement, and judging the Hillsborough County STEM Fair.
Leslie began her career in chemicals manufacturing, then spent many years as an IT and process consultant for Fortune 500 companies such as DuPont, International Paper and AstraZeneca.
Leslie has extensive experience with both organizational development and curriculum design. Co-creator of a national customer service center for a major logistics company, she trained representatives, colleagues, and customers on newly developed processes. Leslie was also on the LEAN Six Sigma team at Granite Services, a GE affiliate, and taught both local and South American counterparts about standardized IT procedures.
In high school, Leslie participated in the National Science Foundation Young Scholars Program at Northeastern University, where she was first introduced to engineering concepts. Leslie and Mary believe that all students in grades K-12 should be able to have such an opportunity to learn about the many exciting and varied opportunities available to an engineer, and they aim to reach that vision through Adventures in Engineering.
Miriam Vattamattam
Miriam graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Elementary Education. Currently a stay-at-home mother of three young boys, Miriam began her career as a 2nd grade teacher for Arlington County Schools in Arlington, VA. She then moved to Charlotte, NC, where she worked as an ESL teacher for grades K-5.
For the past three years, Miriam has served as the Preschool Curriculum Director for Westtown Church in Tampa. In addition, she developed and continues to lead their Vacation Bible School summer camp program.
