Building & Construction Technology: CityLab
The BCT CityLab is a two-week immersive pre-college program for high school students interested in exploring building construction, building science, sustainability, engineering, architecture, technology, and discovering related career paths. Rising 10th – 12th graders get a feel for what college is like while earning two (2) college credits that may be applied towards the Building Construction Technology Program (BCT) at UMass.
Students learn by doing - they explore and apply building science and sustainability principles in the real-world classroom of the Boston Metro region, while based at the Mount Ida Campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, located in Newton, MA.
The BCT CityLab course format includes a series of daily hands-on activities that may include:
- Construction site tours
- Use of emergent technologies (drones, infrared cameras, air quality testing, AR/VR)
- Software (Fusion 360, SketchUp, Minecraft, AutoCAD)
- Fabrication tools (specialty 3D printers/lasers, hand/power tools, CNC equipment sewing machines)
Students may also conduct science lab experiments, participate in service-learning activities, and engage with real-world practitioners and sustainability experts.
This course is offered at the UMass Mt. Ida campus with commuter and residential options available.
