National Grid's Steve Holliday gives an engineering presentation to students from Curtis High School.

The Chief Executive of National Grid from London, Steve Holliday, along with the New York President of National Grid, Ken Daly, and his leadership team, recently visited the campus of the College of Staten Island. After a reception in the office of CSI President William Fritz, the group was escorted on a brief tour of the College’s 204-acre park-like campus.

The visit culminated with a demonstration of the fusion of two plastic gas pipes by National Grid technical trainers for 30 students from Curtis High School. The technicians explained that this process is employed in the field when gas service is provided to various locations. Following the demonstration, National Grid allowed ample time for students to ask specific questions. As one of the leading energy utility companies in the world, National Grid also made a significant impact on the students as top executives discussed the career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Dr. Neo Antoniades, Associate Professor in the CSI Department of Engineering Science and Physics, also engaged the students in hands-on experiments in CSI’s state-of-the-art electronics laboratory. In addition, Professor Antoniades presented a series of mini-lectures on the fields of engineering, design, and mathematics in engineering;  the concepts and role of electronics in our lives; and research in electrical engineering with a focus on high-tech fiber optics.

“National Grid’s presence on the CSI campus and the precious time spent interacting with high school and college students has shown us the tremendous value that the company places on educating the next generation of engineers and their commitment to continuing the working relationship with the College of Staten Island and the Department of Engineering Science and Physics,” said Professor Antoniades.

Dr. Antoniades has been presenting an Engineering Workshop Series to intermediate and high school students since 2008 and National Grid has been the primary funder of those workshops.

National Grid also sponsors STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) scholarships for CSI students as an extension of the company’s Engineering Our Future Initiative (EOF), which encourages young people to study STEM.

The College of Staten Island continues to support STEM studies as an educational experience for high school and college students, while also creating an awareness of the numerous career choices in those industries.  National Grid’s longtime partnership with CSI enables the College to continue its legacy of excellence with the finest faculty and facilities available.