SME Education Foundation Announces 2012 Board of Directors
DEARBORN, Mich., January 17, 2012 —The SME Education Foundation announces its 2012 Board of Directors which includes the return of Glen H. Pearson as president, having previously served in this position (2007-2008), and four new directors: Barbara M. Fossum, PhD, FSME, Julian E. Pate III, Ted Peachee, and Peter T. Zierhut.

SME Education Foundation Funding Bolsters Canadian Advanced Manufacturing Education and Workforce Development
DEARBORN, Mich., TORONTO, Canada, January 10, 2012 — A Canadian “Take Back Manufacturing (TBM)” initiative, introduced last fall by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Toronto Chapter 26 at the CMTS (Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show), hopes to become the catalyst for next-generation job creation. Endorsing this initiative, the SME Education Foundation has funded $15,000 to the SME Toronto chapter to work on developing processes and tools to promote advanced manufacturing engineering careers for Canadian students and assist the Canadian workforce to enhance their knowledge and skills.  

Champion for Manufacturing Education Khalil S. Taraman Completes Board Commitment
DEARBORN, Mich., December 19, 2011 — Khalil S. Taraman, PhD, FSME, PE and D.I.T. Chair Manufacturing Engineering, Lawrence Technological University (LTU), Southfield, Mich., and President of the SME Education Foundation Board of Directors, completes his three-year term on December 31, leaving with accolades and the heart-felt thanks of board members, donors and industry partners. An announcement of the new board will be made in January 2012. 

Reality Redesigned International Design Competition Offers Students $40,000 in Prizes
DEARBORN, Mich., December 13, 2011 — Building on the success of its new HD series, “The Edge Factor,” producers and industry sponsors including the SME Education Foundation, are introducing “Reality Redesigned,” a design contest with a reality show twist offering students access to an international design competition. Up to $40,000 in prizes will be presented “live” at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Rapid Conference, in Atlanta, Ga., May 22 - 25, 2012.

New Partnership with THE EDGE FACTOR Puts the Manufacturing Industry on Stage
DEARBORN, Mich., December 12, 2011 — The SME Education Foundation announces a new partnership with The Edge Factor, a high energy, HD series that is rebranding the manufacturing industry with film and putting its advanced technologies center stage. The SME Education Foundation has also been named the community foundation for The Edge Factor.

Alexandria Moseley Recognized by National Engineers Week as One of 15 Most Promising Engineering Students in U.S. and Across World 
DEARBORN, Mich., December 12, 2011 —  Alexandria Moseley, Newburg, Ore., a manufacturing and engineering student at the Oregon State University – Class of 2013, has been recognized as one of 15 most promising college engineering students, from the United States and across the world, by National Engineers Week through its first annual New Faces of Engineering College Edition. Alexandria has been supported with scholarship funding provided by the SME Education Foundation who nominated her.

Los Angeles’ Hawthorne High School of Engineering and Manufacturing Named Exemplary
DEARBORN, Mich., HAWTHORNE, Calif., November 28, 2011 —Hawthorne High School of Engineering and Manufacturing (HHSEM), Los Angeles, Calif., has been named an exemplary school for their innovative pre-engineering program by the SME Education Foundation. The Foundation is taking a community-based approach to manufacturing education and job creation by creating strong partnerships between exemplary schools, businesses and organizations with a new initiative PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) launched in fall 2011.

 Francis Tuttle Technology Center Named Exemplary for Manufacturing Education
DEARBORN, Mich., OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., November 22, 2011 — The SME Education Foundation is taking a community-based approach to manufacturing education and creating strong partnerships between exemplary schools, businesses and organizations. Francis Tuttle Technology Center (FTTC), Oklahoma City, Okla., is an acknowledged leader for providing exceptional career and technology education to high school students and adults, as well as customized training for business and industry. It is one of six exemplary schools in the nation selected for the first phase of a new initiative, PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) launched in the fall of 2011.

Advanced Manufacturing Education at Walker Career Center Secures National Selection as Exemplary School
DEARBORN, Mich., INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., November 15, 2011 —Students who perceive they have a lack of ability, time, or express reluctance to pursue a challenging course of study is unthinkable at the Walker Career Center, Indianapolis, Ind., named an exemplary school by the SME Education Foundation as part of its community-based approach to manufacturing education. The first phase of the Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education (PRIME), being launched in six states in fall 2011, is designed to create strong partnerships between exemplary schools, businesses and organizations.

SME Education Foundation Awards SME Chicago Chapter 5 "Outstanding Education Partner of the Year”
DEARBORN, Mich., CHICAGO, Ill.,  November 14, 2011 — SME Chicago Chapter 5, the largest membership group of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, has been awarded the 2011 Outstanding Education Partner of the Year Award by the SME Education Foundation.  It is the first time the Foundation has presented their award to a SME Chapter.

Advanced Manufacturing Curriculum at Fairmont High School Generates Community Support for Workforce Development
DEARBORN, Mich., Kettering, Ohio, November 8, 2011 — The SME Education Foundation is taking a community-based approach to workforce development by creating strong partnerships between exemplary schools, businesses and organizations. Kettering Fairmont High School, Kettering, Ohio, has been named an exemplary model school by the SME Education Foundation, one of six selected nationally for the first phase of their Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education (PRIME) program launched in the fall of 2011.

Chicago Organizations, Businesses Line Up to Partner with Tech-based Wheeling High School
DEARBORN, Mich., WHEELING, Ill, November 7, 2011 — The SME Education Foundation is taking a community-based approach to manufacturing education and creating strong partnerships between organizations, businesses and exemplary schools. Wheeling High School, Wheeling, Ill., a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School, is one of six exemplary schools selected for the first phase of a new Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education (PRIME) program launched in fall 2011.

Gene Haas Foundation and SME Education Foundation Align Funding for Machinist Training
DEARBORN, Mich., OXNARD, Calif., November 1, 2011 —Time waits for no one, and with an ongoing critical need for hiring skilled workers in advanced manufacturing, the Gene Haas Foundation, Oxnard, Calif., today announced another $150,000 in grant-funding to the SME Education Foundation to align machinist training with the needs of job seekers and employers in targeted local communities. This newest gift from the philanthropic arm of Haas Automation, Inc. brings their grant-funding support to the SME Education Foundation to nearly $700,000 in less than five years.

PRIME: Job Creation by Connecting Corporations, Businesses and Exemplary Schools
DEARBORN, Mich., October 31, 2011 — The status quo no longer works. In fall 2011, the SME Education Foundation is launching PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education), 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 their STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) workforce development program.

SME Education Foundation Creates $2 Million Endowment: Honors Earl E. Walker, CEO, Carr Lane Manufacturing
DEARBORN, Mich.,  — “I thought you needed some help,” was a phrase characteristic of Earl E. Walker, CEO, Carr Lane Manufacturing, St. Louis, Mo. and Chair Emeritus, SME Education Foundation. Known for his philanthropic work with numerous schools and charities, Mr. Walker worked full time until a week before passing away on August 26 at age 91.

Siemens PLM Software and SME-EF Fund Advanced Engineering Education at Florida High School
DEARBORN, Mich. and PLANO, Texas, October 11, 2011 — The SME Education Foundation, recognized for its commitment to the educational needs of youth and preparing them to excel with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, and Siemens PLM Software, a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced an in-kind software grant valued at $538,500 to the Academy of Engineering at River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, Fla.

Italian Machine Tool Industry Rolls Out Red Carpet for Award winning STEM Educated Engineering Students
CHICAGO, Ill., DEARBORN, Mich., September 12, 2011 — The critical equation for pursuing advanced international engineering in a global community is STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The Italian Trade Commission, celebrating Italy as a top-five producer and exporter of machine tools worldwide, showcased Italian technology in the world of technical education and universities this summer and awarded eight North American engineering students their Fourth Annual Italian Machine Tool Technology Award (IMTTA).

Ford Blue Oval Scholarships Address Skills Gap with Awards to San Antonio Students
DEARBORN, Mich., SAN ANTONIO, Texas, August 30, 2011 — Addressing the skills gap and critical need for workforce development in advanced manufacturing careers, the SME Education Foundation, in partnership with Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, has awarded Ford Blue Oval Scholarships to ten graduating high school students from San Antonio, Texas (Bexar County) to further their education in engineering and related technologies.

Introducing a New Documentary: The Tradesmen: Making an Art of Work
DEARBORN, Mich., July 28, 2011 — “Art” is defined as a superior skill learned by study, practice and observation. In the 20’s and 30s, toolmakers took great pride in their ability to measure a surface finish with a stroke of their hand. Young people, observing these craftsmen at work, were impressed enough to want to follow their lead and learn how to do the same kind of work. Today, advanced manufacturing processes have gone digital and the opportunity to observe craftsmen, first-hand, on the job less likely. 

Shop Rat Summer Camp Introduces Kids to Skilled Trades
DEARBORN, Mich., PLEASANT LAKE, Mich., July 25, 2011 —No tents, no water sports and no singing round the camp fire. Instead, twenty-nine kids – 6th through 10th graders breezed through a week-long summer camp at the Jackson Area Career Center (JACC) and were introduced to the exciting world of manufacturing at the Shop Rat Foundation 2011 Summer Camp. Funding for the camp was provided by the SME Education Foundation. 

Building a Manufacturing Workforce with a Whistle
CHICAGO, Ill, DEARBORN, Mich., July 18, 2011 —The SME Education Foundation has placed an order for 500 whistles manufactured by students at Austin Polytechnical Academy (APA). The whistle order is the first step in a new partnership between the organizations, both committed to workforce development with STEM education and laying the groundwork for careers in advanced manufacturing.

Intel Foundation Funding Brings STEM Infused Gateway Academy to Sacramento Schools
DEARBORN Mich., SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 21, 2011 — This summer might be the defining year for 6th through 8th grade students – boys and girls, who are being introduced to a new kind of summer camp experience, the Gateway Academy being offered at five Sacramento schools. The SME Education Foundation has provided funding to LEED (Linking Education and Economic Development) thanks to a $20,000 gift from the Intel Foundation.

SME Education Foundation Invests in the Future of Manufacturing with Family and Director Scholarships
DEARBORN, Mich., June 6, 2011 -- Efforts by the SME Education Foundation to invest in the future of manufacturing by transforming manufacturing education continues with the awarding of $111,000 in SME Education Foundation Family Scholarships and SME Directors Scholarships to six future manufacturing engineers. The SME Education Foundation’s broad-based effort spanning 30 years, centers on identifying competency gaps, developing and funding enhanced curriculum and providing funding in the form of awards andscholarships, in-kind gifts and grant funding. The SME Education Foundation Scholarship Winner’s Circle for 2011 includes 171 students who were awarded $498,450 in scholarships ranging from 1,000 to $70,000, with some receiving multiple awards

North American Students Win IMTTA Award to Study Advanced International Engineering in Italy
CHICAGO, Ill. DEARBORN, Mich., May 10, 2011 — We are pleased to announce the winners of the Fourth Annual Italian Machine Tool Technology Awards (IMTTA). They are: Joseph Akyeampong, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, N.C.; Brandon Christeson, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; Rachel Decker, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; Roger Harrison, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Mich.; Mitchell Krogman, Kettering University, Flint, Mich.; Dylan Schmitter, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., William Seldon, Kettering University, Flint, Mich., and Carl G. Simonsen, University of Colorado, Denver, Colo.

STEM Savvy High School Students Connect with Industry
DEARBORN, Mich., LYNNWOOD, Wash., April 29, 2011 — Tech-savvy teams from various high schools located in Washington’s Snohomish and the Island County regions will present their STEM-based projects to local manufacturers —potential employers, who are in desperate need of skilled workers, at the 3rd Annual Manufacturing Education and Training Exchange (METE) Innovation Showcase: Young People Creating America’s Future.” The event is being held at Edmonds Community College, Woodway Hall, 20000 68th Avenue W, in Lynnwood, Wash. on Monday, May 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Automation Federation and SME Education Foundation Sign Memorandum of Membership
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N. C., DEARBORN, Mich., March 21, 2011 —The Automation Federation (AF) announced that, earlier this month, the SME Education Foundation has become one of the newest members of AF

Creating a Grid for STEM Education and Advanced Manufacturing Careers
DEARBORN, Mich., March 21, 2011 — Steady growth and measured funding of more than $5 million in five years to create a STEM grid supporting advanced manufacturing education is being realized by the SME Education Foundation and its partner,Project Lead The Way (PLTW). Simple and efficient, the Foundation is working to change public perception of manufacturing and has been successful in encouraging talented young people to challenge themselves and pursue a career in advanced manufacturing.

Ford Blue Oval Scholarships Available for San Antonio High School Students
DEARBORN, Mich., SAN ANTONIO, Texas, March 14, 2011 — In partnership with Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services, the SME Education Foundation announces the 2011 Ford Blue Oval Scholarship program for graduating high school seniors in Bexar County, Texas. As part of their Operation Goodwill program, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services are continuing this scholarship program, established in 2009, for Bexar County high school students to encourage their pursuit of degrees in engineering or technology-related programs.

CIM Centers at PLTW High Schools Add VEX Robotics Design System with $400,000 in SME-EF Funding
DEARBORN, Mich., February 28, 2011 – Workers who have transferable skills of advanced manufacturing technology are golden for industries with little time to waste and anxious to expand their restructured companies.

Gene Haas Machining Technology Scholarship Fund Provides $50,000 to Focus: HOPE Machinist Training Institute (MTI)
DEARBORN, Mich., February 22, 2011 – Success breeds success. And at Focus: HOPE, the momentum is building for young men and women pursuing careers in the machinist trades. The SME Education Foundation has provided $50,000 from the Gene Haas Machining Technology Scholarship Fund to Focus: HOPE for its Machinist Training Institute (MTI) – repeating last year’s investment in a program that provides training and education in machining technology.

Manufacturing the Future: A Documentary, Premiers February 26 at Green Bay Film Festival
DEARBORN, Mich., GREEN BAY, Wis., February 15, 2011 —Is manufacturing dead in Wisconsin? It’s a provocative question for any state, as local communities are finding they have to take more responsibility for their own longevity in today’s global manufacturing environment. “Manufacturing the Future – A Documentary – Is manufacturing dead in Wisconsin? premiers at the Green Bay Film Festival on Saturday, February 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the KI Convention Center, 333 Main Street, Green Bay, Wis. Its website has been made possible through a generous grant from the SME Education Foundation.

New Faces of Engineering 2011 Honors Brianne Maier
DEARBORN, Mich., WASHINGTON, D.C., February 14, 2011 — They are the best of the best — the next generation of engineers whose innovation, leadership skills and commitment to excellence are helping to better our world and inspire young people to consider a career in engineering.

Kids Explore Alternative Energy Resources in New Video French-fry Grease into Bio-fuel
DEARBORN, Mich., February 14, 2011 — Why should the fact that tech-based careers are cool, fun, and offer lots of opportunities in a variety of industries including green technology, continue to be a best-kept secret for young people? The SME Education Foundation has taken an aggressive stance in supporting National Engineers Week – February 20-26 with the production and distribution of a new video, “Innovate: Fueling Change.” The video is being distributed to 4,000 Project Lead the Way (PLTW) classrooms and after school programs across the country and beyond.   

Call for Papers: North American Universities Invited to Compete for 2011 Italian Machine Tool Technology Awards
CHICAGO, Ill. DEARBORN, Mich., February 6, 2011 — A “Call for Papers” for the 2011 Italian Machine Tool Technology Awards (IMTTA) is announced by the Italian Trade Commission via its Chicago USA Office (ITC – www.italtrade.com/usa), and its partners

Dollars + STEM Education = Job Creation
DEARBORN, Mich., January 31, 2011 — In a recent study, theKauffman Foundation found that in any given year, the top-performing one percent of firms is generating roughly 40 percent of all new jobs. The SME Education Foundation accelerated its efforts through relationships with this one percent of major companies to deliver its STEM-based programs and expand job growth. Managing an $18 million endowment, Foundation Director, Bart A. Aslin and his five person staff are changing public perception of manufacturing with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-based education programs – the result of a series of highly successful collaborations with business and industry over the past 30 years.

Beating the Odds: Focus: HOPE Honors First Two University of Michigan Graduates
DEARBORN, Mich., January 20, 2011 — It’s a brave new world for newly-minted engineers. Roy Goodman and Dallas Manning navigated a demanding engineering program to become the first Focus: HOPE engineering students to graduate from the University of Michigan in December.