CS-STEM Afterschool Program in Miami Beach

Photo of Mario Eraso with MDCPS students in CS-STEM

From the FIU Office of Engagement:

At FIU, the Future Is Us

FIU’s designation as a Carnegie Engaged University relies ondemonstrating its commitment to the community. Founded on the principle that auniversity can enrich its community, the FIU Office of Engagement believes thatwhen the community grows, we all grow. To accomplish that goal, the Office ofEngagement reaches out to the community and builds solid connections. Theynurture partnerships. They change lives.

As part of theOffice of Engagement’s triple-win philosophy, FIU seeks to team up with municipalities across South Florida to form partnerships that benefit our cities, our university, and our students. The City of Miami Beach has asked Dr.Mario Eraso to develop a CS-STEM Afterschool Program for two of its schools, Fienberg K-8 Center and Biscayne Elementary. The city invested $40,000 to get the program started. 50% of the money goes to paying our CS/IT majors. Dr.Eraso developed the curriculum, shares pedagogical strategies with the college students and supervises the program. He meets with the students weekly and sporadically visits the schools.

City of Miami Beach

The City of Miami Beach and FIU have been tackling common challengestogether since 2014. In that time, the civic partnership has achieved great resultsby sharing FIU’s academic resources with the city’s policy expertise.

Students in FIU CS-STEM After-school Program at Biscayne Elementary build Platonic solids and then model them in VR.

For example, mutually beneficial endeavors such as the FIU Sea Level Rise Solution Center can engage in groundbreaking research while finding practical ways to combat climate change. Similarly, the Food Network &Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival, whose profits benefit FIU directly, brings thousands of tourists to the beach every year. The FIU andCity of Miami Beach partnership also enriches arts with cultural centers likeWolfsonian-FIU and Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, with both institutions preserving and upholding the city’s rich history. FIU students can immerse themselves in that history from the Miami Beach Urban Studios on Lincoln Road on the edge of the Art Deco district.