Since 1979, the SME Education Foundation has been one of the leading non-profits dedicated to the advancement of manufacturing education.
In September, the SME Education Foundation received a finalist award from Automation Alley for having the “Best Education Program of the Year.” The award honored the Foundation for its dedication to the advancement of grades K-16 manufacturing education – specifically for the Gateway Academy program and providing more then $29 million to youth programs, scholarships and awards.
Bart Aslin, director, SME Education Foundation, made brief remarks during the meeting and presented a check for $187,500 to support 13 Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Summer (STEPS) Academies and seven PLTW Gateway to Technology programs in Ohio. Additional speakers included Dick Blais, PLTW vice president, and David Burns, executive director of secondary education and workforce development, Ohio Department of Education.
Aligned with the national Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative, the partnership aims to engage students in STEM subjects by implementing the STEPS Academy program and increasing Ohio’s use of PLTW engineering curriculum in middle schools. Middle schools that will receive these funds include Western Hills Design Academy (Cincinnati), River Valley Middle School (Marion), Canton South Career Center, Ft. Recovery/St. Henry Middle Schools, Columbus City Schools and Logan-Hocking Middle School.
Burns highlighted Ohio education’s overall commitment to preparing students for high-skill, high-wage jobs that require strong academics. In addition to presenting the Foundation’s check, Aslin discussed how the STEPS program will help Ohio realize its vision. Blais made a presentation about the PLTW Ohio Initiative and the critical role played by business and industry in promoting STEM curriculum.
“Ohio is leading the country in its innovative efforts to promote and enhance STEM education,” said Aslin. “By embracing the STEPS Academy program, Ohio is providing a strong example for other states that are also looking for ways to strengthen STEM education as well as bolster the future workforce for their manufacturing and engineering industries.”
Ohio PLTW’s inaugural Executive Council meeting brought PLTW representatives together with the state’s key STEM partners to discuss strategies for moving the Ohio PLTW Initiative forward. Among the estimated 50 persons in attendance were representatives of the SME Education Foundation, ODE and manufacturing and engineering businesses throughout Ohio, including, Divelbiss Corp., American Electric Power and Nordson. Ohio became a PLTW state in February 2004. With leadership from the Office of CTAE and collaboration among business/industry and postsecondary partners around the state, Ohio’s PLTW program has grown from 13 programs in 2004 to 128 programs in every region of the state by the start of the next school year.
The STEPS Academy program will help Ohio’s growing, in-school pre-engineering curriculum with hands-on fun summer programs that attract more middle school students to manufacturing and technology and increase their interest in taking PLTW classes and other prerequisite science and math courses in middle and high school. STEPS Academy will expand to more than 60 sites in 14 states in 2007. The SME Education Foundation’s goal is to add a minimum of 50 additional STEPS Academies nationwide per year through 2010.
Working with industry and non-profit partners, such as PLTW and the SME Education Foundation, Ohio has created a program of diverse, advanced STEM initiatives.
“This partnership can help steer more Ohio students to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Tave Zelman. “The future of Ohio depends upon growing and nurturing a world-class workforce, and STEPS Academy will help prepare our students to succeed in a competitive, global economy.”
About the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation is one of the nation’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education. Its approach is three-fold: to inspire youth to pursue careers in manufacturing, to support students studying for a career in an engineering-related field and to prepare these students through its Manufacturing Education Plan grant program in colleges and technical schools. Since 1980, the Foundation has provided more than $19 million in grants, scholarships and awards. The Education Foundation was created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1979 as a means of transforming manufacturing education in North American colleges and universities. For more information, visit www.sme.org/foundation.
About Project Lead the Way
PLTW is a not-for-profit organization that partners with public schools, organizations in the private sector and higher education institutions to increase the number and quality of engineers graduating from the nation’s education system. The Project Lead The Way® (PLTW) curriculum is a four-year, flexible sequence of pre-engineering courses that, when combined with college preparatory mathematics and science courses in high school, introduces students to the scope, rigor and discipline of engineering and engineering technology prior to entering college. Approximately 1,000 schools in 42 states and the District of Columbia have adopted PLTW’s curriculum. For more information, visit http://www.pltw.org.
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If you have any questions or comments, please contact the SME Education Foundation by phone (313) 425-3300, e-mail foundation@sme.org, or Fax: (313) 425-3411