Archive for News
PLTW Schools Have Strong Showing at FIRST Robotics World Championship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2010
CONTACT: Lisa Cohen, 310-395-2544, lisa@lisacohen.org
PROJECT LEAD THE WAY SCHOOLS HAVE STRONG SHOWING AT NATIONAL FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION
PLTW Students Were Part of the World Champion Team as Students from Three PLTW Pathway to Engineering Schools Work Together in Final Competition; 500 PLTW Schools Participated in the 2010 Competition, More Than Any Other STEM Program in the Country; PLTW CEO Calls for Increase in Support for In-School STEM Programs in America
Clifton Park, NY – Project Lead The Way, the nation’s leading provider of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in-school education programs, announced today that PLTW students from all over the country participated in this year’s 2010 FIRST Robotics Championship, including members of the World Champion team that won the national competition. Of the 1,800 teams participating in the 2010 First Robotics Competition, 500 were from schools that offer PLTW’s rigorous STEM education program. Two of three “World Champion” teams included students from three schools with Project Lead The Way (PLTW) programs, including Redondo Union (CA), Mira Costa (CA), and South Windsor (CT) High Schools.
“We are so proud of the innovative spirit PLTW students and teachers displayed at the FIRST Robotics Competition,” said John Lock, CEO of Project Lead The Way. “Every day, in PLTW classrooms around the country, students are developing the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they are going to need to be college- and career-ready when they graduate. After-school programs and competitions that allow students to pursue their passion for creativity and innovation are a great complement to the rigorous in-school STEM program that PLTW students experience every day in the classroom. We congratulate all of the PLTW schools on their successful performance in this competition, especially the Champions from Redondo Union, Mira Costa and South Windsor High Schools.”
Project Lead The Way’s hands-on, project based program engages the hearts and minds of thousands of middle school and high school students through STEM education by helping them connect what they are learning in the classroom to real-life problems. PLTW students use professional design software in the classroom that allows them to imagine, create and build things like robots and cars, applying what they learn in math and science to the world’s grand challenges. Studies have shown that PLTW students are more engaged in learning than their peers and more likely to attend college and major in STEM-related fields than non-PLTW students.
Lock added, “We are really encouraged by the level of innovation and creativity from all of the teams that participated in this competition and hope that the entire country is paying attention. An innovative, rigorous and project-based STEM curriculum during the school day is exactly the kind of learning experience we need to be providing students. It is no coincidence that PLTW students performed so well in the competition – they spend every school day developing these problem-solving skills. Every student in every school should have the opportunity to participate in classes that develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. After school competitions like the FIRST competition are wonderful, but many students don’t have access to or even time to pursue after school activities. As a nation, we must also commit increased resources to STEM based programs in school so that all students can develop these skills that are so critical to their ability to succeed in the 21st century.”
About Project Lead The Way
Project Lead The Way, Inc., is a national, non-profit organization that is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative STEM education curricular programs used in K-12 schools. The PLTW comprehensive curriculum, which is collaboratively developed by PLTW teachers, university educators, engineering and biomedical professionals, and school administrators, emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving. The hands-on, project-based program engages students on multiple levels, exposes them to areas of study that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success. PLTW began in 1998 in 12 high schools in upstate New York as a program designed to address the shortage of engineering students at the college level and has grown to a network of almost 3,400 middle and high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 350,000 students are enrolled in PLTW courses. For more information, visit www.pltw.org.
Minnesota State Mankato @ 7700 France Edina to offer Engineering Masters Degree Fall 2010
The Engineering programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato offer a Master of Science in Engineering degree program. In consultation with their committee, students design their own program of study by choosing courses from Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science. The program is designed to serve engineers in business and industry who want to continue their formal engineering education at the postgraduate level; new engineering graduates who want to increase their depth of knowledge and develop an area of specialization; and those graduates from other related science disciplines who want to broaden their backgrounds by pursuing engineering studies at the graduate level. Read more.
Siemens Awards Technology Training Equipment To Seven U.S. Schools
Press Release By Michael Krampe
ATLANTA, Nov. 24, 2009
Siemens today announced the seven schools that will recieve in-kind donations of automation equipment and software as part of its Siemens Automation Cooperates with Education (SCE) program. Designed to help “jump-start” or upgrade technical programs and curriculum with leading edge Siemens automation technologies, more than 60 universities, colleges trade schools and high schools were nominated for the SCE Educational Development Award by Siemens distributors across the country.
The award recipients are Alexandria Technical College, Alexandria, MN; Penn College of Technology, Williamsport, PA; University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV; Kellogg Community College, Battle Creek, MI; Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA; Western Colorado Community College, Grand Junction, CO; and College of the Sequoias, Visalia, CA.
Project Lead The Way(R) Receives National Recognition from the Education Commission of the States
Organization Works to Strengthen Math and Science Education
DENVER, June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is pleased to award Project Lead The Way(R) (PLTW) the 2009 ECS Corporate Award. The tribute honors for-profit corporations or non-profit organizations with sustained commitment to and investment in improving public education. The award will be presented by Minnesota Governor and ECS Chair Tim Pawlenty as part of the 2009 National Forum on Education Policy, July 8-10 in Nashville, Tenn.
Collaborating with schools, industry, state government and universities, PLTW works to build future generations of successful engineers and technology savvy graduates. PTLW supports a series of middle and high school courses that are project-centered, problem-based and technology-integrated, preparing students to excel in high-tech fields. With rigorous and relevant context tied to national standards, the program responds to a common student question: “Why do I have to learn this?”
“This is a perfect example of a public/private partnership engaging and challenging students to apply their skills and knowledge to real life situations,” notes ECS President Roger Sampson.
Project Lead The Way leadership believe that when schools apply activities and problem-based learning, they generate an “increase in student motivation, an increase in cooperative learning skills, higher-order thinking and an improvement in student achievement.” Research has shown this to be true. According to an evaluation by High Schools That Work, PLTW students scored significantly higher in both mathematics and science high school assessments. The National Center for Education Statistics 2006-07 True Outcomes report explains that students who participate in PLTW are five times more likely to graduate college as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors than those who do not.
The organization was started in the 1980s in upstate New York by Richard Blais and Richard Liebich, becoming an independent not-for-profit organization in 1997. Today, the program is expanding across the country with an eye to new and engaging curriculum.
“We are extremely honored to receive this award, particularly at a time when our country needs a new generation of innovators to remain economically competitive in the 21st century global economy,” said John Lock, CEO of Project Lead The Way. “We remain committed to attracting more students to science, math, engineering and tech fields in the coming years by expanding the reach of PLTW’s critical-thinking and project-based curriculum to more schools around the country. By helping students apply what they learn in math and science to innovation and real life problem-solving, we can create America’s next “Innovation Generation’ and regain our economic competitive advantage.”
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is the only nationwide, nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education. ECS helps governors, legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. A nonprofit organization, ECS (www.ecs.org) was formed in 1965 and is located in Denver, Colorado.
Project Lead The Way(R) is a national 501c3, not-for-profit educational program that helps give middle and high school students the rigorous ground-level education they need to develop strong backgrounds in science and engineering. For more information, please visit: http://www.pltw.org.
SOURCE Education Commission of the States Mary Ann Strombitski, +1-303-299 3609, mstrombitski@ecs.org, or Ashley Zaleski +1-303-299-3698, azaleski@ecs.org, both of the Education Commission of the States
Center of Excellence Awarded Continuing Funding
Minnesota’s Centers for Excellence which include the Center for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence, have been awarded continuing funding for fiscal years 2010 and 2011. Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Linda Baer announced in a memo date June 3, 2009 that the Centers will be funded at approximately $4M, reflecting a 12% funding reduction from past awards. “My expectation is this funding level will assist each Center in maintaining momentum and the current and planned initiatives presented earlier this year by each Center of Excellence,” states Baer.
“This funding will allow the Center to continue to move forward with strategic initiatives that support Minnesota’s industry sector,” says Dr. Ronald Bennett, Executive Director for the Center. “Building an educated, technically skilled pool of workers is critical to Minnesota’s economic success both nationally and globally. Our goal is to increase that pipeline flow across the full spectrum of people pursuing STEM careers.”
Alexandria Technical College Provides Integrated Manufacturing Training Model
In the constantly changing world of manufacturing, responsiveness is measured in weeks, not years. Things need to move quickly. But, rapid and expansive response to industry needs can be unsettling to a traditional institution. Changing educational programs can be an arduous and expensive proposition. All real and potential consequences must be considered. Alexandria Technical College found a way to balance thoughtful change with industry needs through an integrated manufacturing training model that provides technical training for multiple audiences—from high school to industry.
MNCEME, Alexandria Technical College (one of MNCEME’s partners) and area leaders in manufacturing worked side-by-side to develop a new concept in manufacturing training. No longer would education be stuck in the classroom as the sole responsibility of the institution, nor would it be an isolated class developed specifically for one company’s employees. This unique customized training model spans the entire spectrum of need.
The idea began when Alex Extrusion expressed a need for ‘super machinists’—skilled machinists who also understand business and technology. The company had recently purchased a robotic cell and approached ATC about securing the same equipment as a training vehicle. In collaboration with area manufacturers, ATC, and MNCEME, funding was secured for new equipment; however, that was part of the plan. Alexandria Technical College and the Minnesota Center for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence recognized an opportunity beyond the addition of state-of-the-art equipment to the lab.
A vision of an innovative manufacturing training model was developed. It included a manufacturing concepts training center to support entry-level manufacturing curriculum and independent use of the equipment to support advanced training. Cutting-edge technology and experienced educators would be available at various levels: PLTW camps and high school extreme technology challenges; two year technical programs; entry-level and advanced incumbent worker training; and, perhaps someday, an engineering skills center.
The request from industry energized ATC. The ability to view change as an opportunity and program flexibility, which allows educational institutions to quickly respond to industry needs, are best practices that are paramount to the success of MNCEME partners and the Minnesota economy.
For more information about the integrated manufacturing training model program, please contact
Chad Coauette, Dean of Customized Training, Alexandria Technical College, 1-320-762-4403
