Boston, MA – November 16, 2005 – Nothing is better than a prepared student for Wentworth Associate Professor of Architecture Manuel Delgado.

The Associate Professor of Architecture recently participated in the “Shaping the Future, One Child at a Time," discussion panel during the 21st Annual Build Boston event on Wednesday, November 16. The panel featured prominent design and architect professionals who discussed how to better prepare younger students for the professional and academic worlds of Architecture and Design.

Delgado, who has been teaching at Wentworth since fall semester of 2004, discussed the Youth@ArtTech program that is held annually during the summer. Youth@ArtTech’s goal is to help low- and moderate-income middle school youth develop technical and artistic skills while obtaining a first-hand college experience.

The camp has given Delgado, and the Wentworth community, a new opportunity to enhance the lives of their neighbors.

“The program opened a lot of doors and the students were very excited to participate," Delgado explained. “It has allowed me to meet children in the area and see what their lives are like."

The panel also discussed the role an individual can have in non-profit organizations that contribute to the development of children.

“These programs teach children to think, learn, and act in different ways in the classroom," said Elainte Ostroff, the founding director of Adaptive Environments, a non-profit that seeks to enhance the process of learning design for all groups and ages.

“We also teach children to be hands-on design architects for the future," added Ostroff.

Citizen Schools, Learning by Design, and Multi/Design for People were three other foundations represented on the panel.

Citizen gives middle-school aged students fun, hands-on learning projects taught by business and community volunteers. “The focus of citizen schools is to educate children and their environments," says Anuradha Desai, executive director of organizational development for the program located in Boston, Mass.

The program provides direct interaction with professionals in design and architecture. Students in Learning by Design have worked with Turner Construction and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

“This program enables the next generation to build a thoughtfully designed future," said Polly Carpenter, master teacher of Learning by Design in Massachusetts.

The Multi/Design for People school expands outside of the after-school activities to introduce design to diverse young generations. Recently the school and its students traveled to St. John’s, U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Our purpose is to experiment and learn from one another so we may be better designers," said Rosanne Ramos, who works for the organization. “Every facet of the travel experience was discussed, we were basically learning by doing."

Build Boston is a popular convention among Wentworth alumni who have become professionals in Architecture and Design. On Wednesday, November 16 the Wentworth Alumni Association and Office of Alumni Relations sponsored a reception for alumni who visited the tradeshow.

The reception connects industry professionals and Wentworth administration who both contribute to the economic development of region and state.

“We hosted approximately 200 guests this year," said Director of Alumni Relations Barbara Such. “President Zorica Pantic was present along with Phillip Brooks, who is president of the alumni association."

The Build Boston event, which is the largest regional tradeshow and convention for the design and construction industry, offers over 300 exhibits and over 200 workshops to the approximately 14,000 building industry professionals that attend. Other discussions focus on housing, materials and diversity.

“It’s important not to focus on the economy and materials," said Anuradha Desai, “but the people who the design is for."