Arup has been awarded the 2012 Partnership Award from PENCIL, the non-profit organisation that brings together business leaders to strengthen New York City public schools. The award was presented on May 10, 2012 at Manhattan’s American Museum of Natural History; with CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien serving as mistress of ceremonies.

Arup has worked with PENCIL for several years. Initially starting with one Brooklyn school, now partnering with two to develop creative learning activities for classrooms, host students as interns in Arup offices, and build relationships between school Principals and Arup leaders. Arup staff from a variety of disciplines, from transportation consulting to structural engineering, have worked with students on innovative projects.

One of the first efforts with the program involved helping students from the International High School at Prospect Heights design improvements to an existing dance studio. The school subsequently received grant money to implement the changes. Since then, Arup staff have worked with the students from the International High School and a nearby junior high, the School of Integrated Learning, to create proposed designs for music rooms, science labs and more, in addition to devising a number of other hands-on learning experiences.