On October 25th, 2019, NSBE Junior (K-12 STEM program) students from Jeremiah E. Burke High School and Charlestown High School, both Boston Public Schools (BPS), visited the PTC Customer Experience Center (CXC). PTC, an industrial software maker located in the Boston Seaport district, hosted the students to a half day of tech discovery and engineering learning with hands-on activities, introducing them to Internet of Things (IOT) and Augmented Reality (AR). During the tour of the CXC, students interacted with real use cases to experience how PTC customers like Volvo, are achieving value by using PTC technology. The visit was part of NSBE Boston’s scheduled programs for K-12 students in celebration of Massachusetts STEM Week 2019, a statewide effort to increase awareness of STEM careers and boost interest in education.
Erick Smith, Sr. Inclusion & Diversity Specialist and Black Employee group Co-chair welcomed the students to PTC, just before the lunch reception and Q&A with the PTC executive team. Mr Smith encouraged the students present to pursue careers in STEM, as PTC has a global commitment to increase the diversity of its current 6000+ employees in over 30 countries.
Jim Heppelmann, CEO of PTC, during his address to the students, spoke on his journey to engineering and what he enjoys about leading a global tech company at the forefront of innovation. Mr. Heppelmann shared stories on how he was exposed to farm machinery at an early age, and his interest in computers when he was in high school. The CEO also inspired students to learn more about the various engineering disciplines, work hard, stay focused and think of ways in which they can solve problems using technology. To close his address, Mr. Heppelmann informed the students about PTC’s commitment to increasing workplace diversity and hoped the students continued their pursuit of careers in engineering, as they are the future. Along with 800 CEOs of the world’s leading companies and business organizations, Jim Heppelmann is a member of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion (the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion within the workplace).
“I want to study Mechanical Engineering, and its really cool that the CEO of this large company studied mechanical also. Maybe I can follow in his steps and become a CEO too” – Isaiah, High School Senior
Students enjoyed their visit and loved the hands-on activities during the tour of the PTC Customer Experience Center. Members of PTC’s Black Employee (BE @ PTC) representing both Tech & Non-Tech roles, joined the students for lunch and answered additional questions. The theme for the second annual statewide Massachusetts STEM Week was “See Yourself in STEM”. NSBE Boston Professionals also attended the Boston Public Schools (BPS) STEM Expo on October 26th, 2019, as an exhibitor.
PTC is supporter of NSBE Boston’s Youth STEM Initiatives and the “INSPIRE STEM” campaign to increase the number of Black students matriculating in college engineering programs.
If your company is interested in hosting a STEM Day for students, please contact PARTNERSHIP@NSBEBOSTON.ORG
Learn more about NSBE Boston’s Pre-College Initiative program
PTC Inc. is a Boston, MA based global computer software and services company. The Company offers a portfolio of computer-aided design (CAD) modeling, product lifecycle management (PLM) and service lifecycle management (SLM) solutions for manufacturers to create, operate, and service products. At PTC, we believe that employees do their best work when they feel they can be their true, authentic self. PTC is committed to diversity and offers an inclusive workplace for employees from all cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life. Learn more about Life at PTC - www.ptc.com/en/careers
