SME Education Foundation and Project Lead the Way® Agree to Pilot Summer Program

SME-EF will provide financial support in the form of a $50,000 grant to PLTW for curriculum development and up to $75,000 to support three pilot programs. They will also work to engage the support of the local chapters of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

PLTW will develop four introductory units designed for middle school students that will be added to their current Gateway to Technology^TM program setting. PLTW will provide previously trained instructors in middle school learning environments meeting their standards, and make initial contacts to prospective summer pilot schools. They will also provide instructional assistance and summer program teachers at the pilot sites and provide coordination of the pilot implementation sites for consistency and quality assurance.

Says Sherril K. West, president, SME Education Foundation, "In a globally competitive economy with emerging technologies rapidly challenging the knowledge base of its workers, the U.S. has to develop a new workforce to meet the challenge of a global job market where the demand for science and engineering workers continues to erode U.S. dominance. We are pleased with this opportunity to collaborate with Project Lead The Way."

PLTW has pre-engineering curriculum programs in over 1,400 middle and high schools in 45 states and is growing rapidly through a demonstrated track record of having students developing an interest in engineering as a career choice. The STEPS (Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Summer) camp offered by the SME Education Foundation since 1997, has involved more than 4,000 students in five states.

"Our ultimate objective," says Niel Tebbano, vice president of PLTW "is to create awareness and interest in these career fields among high school students by enhancing education and training and creating a self-sustaining summer program that can be offered by schools nationwide."

Both organizations will collaborate to develop a "Summer Educational Program Implementation Guidebook," marketing and public relations materials to be distributed to schools, and an evaluation of the efficacy and effectiveness of the implementation of the program. SME-EF and PLTW will also endeavor to engage their affiliates in industry, business and higher education in the collaborative model.

Project Lead the Way:
Project Lead the Way® (PLTW) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes pre-engineering courses for middle and high school students. PLTW forms partnerships with public schools and higher education institutions and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from our educational system. It seeks to create dynamic partnerships with our nation's schools to prepare an increasing and more diverse group of students to be successful in engineering and engineering technology programs. Visit www.pltw.org

SME Education Foundation:
The Education Foundation of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers is one of the nation's leading non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education through college and university grants, scholarships, fellowships, and student outreach programs. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) created the SME Education Foundation in 1979 as a means of transforming manufacturing education in North American colleges and universities. Since 1980, the Foundation has invested more than $19 million in cash grants, scholarships and awards - more funding than any other professional society. Visit us at www.sme.org/foundation

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If you have any questions or comments, please contact SME Public Relations by phone (313) 271-1500, e-mail communications@sme.org, or Fax: (313) 425-3403