The SME Education Foundation is committed to inspiring, preparing and supporting the next generation of manufacturing engineers and technologists through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) in 1979, the SME Education Foundation has provided more than $31 million since 1980 in grants, scholarships and awards in the U.S. andCanada, and supported student outreach programs through its partnerships with corporations, foundations, organizations and individual donors.

The SME Education Foundation has:

• Invested $6 million in youth programs, inspiring more than 21,000 students since 1997 to explore and pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for manufacturing engineering careers.
• Invested $17.3 million in grants to 35 colleges and universities for the development of industry-driven curricula.
• Provided more than $5.3 million in scholarships and $1.2 million awards.
• Provided in-kind gifts totaling $48.7 million since 2007 thanks to the generosity of industry partners.
• Maintained the SME Education Foundation endowment of $19.5 million

SME Education Foundation Grants: 
The SME Education Foundation grant program supports funding for advanced manufacturing. On a periodic basis, grant applications are accepted from Project Lead The Way (PLTW) high schools applying for funding upgrades to their Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) courses.

Grant applications are also accepted for Siemens PLM Solutions Software, a business unit of the company and leading global provider of product lifecycle management software. The SME Education Foundation and Siemens PLM Software provide schools across the global community with access to state-of-the-art Siemens PLM software to provide access to enhanced curriculum for advanced manufacturing education. Siemens PLM Software and the SME Education Foundation offer a Total Solution Package to academic institutions.

SME Education Foundation Scholarships: 
Since 1998, the SME Education Foundation has provided over $5.3 million in scholarships and $1.2 million in awards through its various scholarship programs to graduating high school seniors, current undergraduates and masters or doctoral degree students pursuing degrees in manufacturing and related fields at two and four-year colleges.

Key scholarship programs include: Ford Blue Oval Scholarships, Gene Haas Machining Technology Scholarships, and for SME Student Chapter members, the Joseph P. Novek Outstanding Student Leader Award and Future Leaders of Manufacturing Scholarship.

SME Education Foundation Youth Programs: 
The SME Education Foundation is committed to creating a manufacturing education pathway for young people to help them compete in the 21st century global economy. The Foundation provides funding to organizations with programming offering STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines to help students make informed career decisions. Efforts are based on increasing awareness among young people beginning in elementary school through middle and high school and then as they pursue college-level and/or technical training. Special emphasis is placed on women and minorities, two groups the manufacturing industry has recognized as largely untapped pools of talent.

PARTNERSHIPS:

Project Lead The Way (PLTW):
The SME Education Foundation provides funding for STEM-based programs managed by Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a national education non-profit offering science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula for middle and high school students. Foundation funding has provided enhanced STEM curriculum for the Gateway Academy, a weeklong summer camp for 6th-8th graders. These students are then directed to the Gateway to Technology program which introduces 6th-8th grade students to aerospace, energy, environmental studies, modeling and robotics.

In high school, students are directed to the Pathway to Engineering program which offers two tracks: Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), or Biomedical Sciences. In 2011-2012, the SME Education Foundation provided $400,000 in funding to 167 high schools across the country for equipment and classroom material upgrades for their Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) program which includes the VEX® Robotics Design System.

PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education):
Launched in 2011, PRIME is designed to create strong partnerships between organizations, businesses, and exemplary schools to provide a comprehensive, community-based approach to manufacturing education. This initiative builds on a five-year, $5.2 million investment in the Foundation's STEM-based workforce development program.

The first phase of PRIME selected six exemplary schools in six states based on the following criteria: exemplary manufacturing curriculum and/or having a PLTW or Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) curriculum; skilled and dedicated instructors; engaged and active students; strong corporate or administrative support from the manufacturing community; and SME member involvement including SME local chapters.

For Phase I, the SME Education Foundation invested $156,000 which provided each of the six schools with a $10,000 grant for equipment upgrades, software, and/or professional development; $1,000 for development of after school technology competitions tied to organizations such as Skills USA and/or First Robotics; $5,000 for a Gateway Academy technology-based summer camp, and $10,000 in scholarship opportunities.

Phase I Schools included: Wheeling High School, Chicago, Illinois, Kettering Fairmont High School, Dayton, Ohio; Walker Career Center, Indianapolis, Indiana; Summit Technology Academy, Kansas City, Missouri; Hawthorne High School, Los Angeles, California, and Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

National Robotics Challenge:
The National Robotics Challenge was created in 1986 as the SME Robotic Technology and Engineering Challenge (RTEC). The event moved to Marion, Ohio in 2004, renamed, and, with funding provided by the SME Education Foundation, is now one of the premier robotics and engineering student competitions in the nation.

Shop Rat Foundation:
The Shop Rat Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by a manufacturing entrepreneur, Chris Salow. The mission of the Shop Rat Foundation is to advance the skilled trade industries by providing hands-on educational opportunities to students who live in a society that is dissolving hands-on skilled trade education from school curriculum.

The Edge Factor:
The SME Education Foundation is partnering with Edge Factor to bring together to bring excitement to the manufacturing industry and to get kids excited about manufacturing. The Edge Factor is an innovative film series project and chronicles manufacturing innovation by providing incredibly diverse and interesting segments which appeal to young people. Stemming from the production of the Edge Factor series will be a new student engagement competition, "Reality Redesigned," as well as a series of classroom videos, "EDU Factor," which will be used to highlight the specific technologies featured in the Edge Factor series. The intent is to engage the manufacturing community and encourage them to provide access to innovative thinkers for demonstrations of current technology and processes. The project was developed by producer/director, Jeremy Bout.

The Tradesmen: Making an Art of Work: 
"The Tradesmen: Making an Art of Work" is a social commentary which explores the many different issues involved in trade work in contemporary America. The documentary includes interviews with Baltimore tradesmen combined with an academic analysis of socioeconomic, intellectual, and philosophical aspects related to skilled labor. The project was written, produced and directed by Richard Yeagley.

SME EDUCATION FOUNDATION WEB PORTALS:

CareerMe:
CareerMe.org, developed by the National Center for Manufacturing Engineering (NCME), provides young people in grades 11-14 with information they need to pursue advanced manufacturing careers. Funding for the creation and maintenance of CareerMe.org is provided to NCME by the SME Education Foundation. Their collaborative partners include the Academy of Engineering (AOE), Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the National Academy Foundation (NAF), and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME).

ManufacturingisCool:
ManufacturingisCool.com, developed by SME Education Foundation, is an award winning, interactive website that celebrates creative thinkers - students, their teachers and parents who are willing to look at the global community in a new way. The website drills down and expands information on a variety of required engineering disciplines - challenging students to become more involved in the basics of engineering and the careers it offers through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

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Issued: 26 March 2012