Richard J. Daley College Manufacturing Challenge Introduces High Schoolers to New Careers

More than 130 high school students presented their innovative solutions to real-world challenges during the Manufacturing and Engineering Team-Based Challenge on October 30 at Richard J. Daley College's Manufacturing Technology Engineering Center.

The event, hosted by the City Colleges of Chicago Roadmap team, CPS Early College and Career Education, National Geographic Learning, and Daley College, brought together students from six Chicago Public High Schools to apply engineering concepts to real-world problems and to learn from industry professionals.

These challenges are a key part of the Illinois State Board of Education's College and Career Pathway Endorsement, which recognizes students for completing career-related learning experiences in high school. Through its state-of-the-art facilities and expert faculty, City Colleges provides students opportunities to explore in-demand industries, connect classroom learning to real-world applications, and discover college and transfer pathways, including Roadmap 2.0, CPS, City Colleges, and the University of Illinois Chicago's partnership.

Daley College President Dr. Isaac Zúñiga welcomed students and encouraged them to pursue ambitious college and career goals. The day's keynote speaker, Pam Silva, an engineering expert, National Geographic Explorer, and executive director of Catapult Design, challenged students to consider how engineering can address community needs.

Working in teams, students developed prototypes in response to one of three real-world challenges: creating affordable air quality monitors to help Chicago residents respond to wildfire smoke, designing accessible cooling solutions to protect residents from extreme heat, or developing tools to help caregivers support older adults.

At the end of the challenge, teams presented their prototypes to industry experts, who evaluated their designs based on innovation, feasibility, and potential impact. The top team from each participating high school advanced to the final round, where they presented to Silva. Solorio High School earned first place for its Park Cooling Station Design, a proposal for a public park cooling station made from salvaged materials and developed in collaboration with local community members. Curie High School took second place for its Mobility Bug Design, an assistive walker to help older adults safely navigate their homes.

The event also connected students with organizations across the manufacturing, engineering, and innovation sectors, including Argonne National Laboratory, the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, MiSUMi, East-West University, the Illinois Innovation Network, and more. It helped introduce more high schoolers to the possibilities of careers in manufacturing and engineering and showed them how their ideas can help shape the future.