The SME Education Foundation will expand its 2009 Gateway Academy pre-engineering program in the Kansas City, Mo. metropolitan area thanks to a $60,000 matching grant awarded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

DEARBORN, Mich., March 24, 2009 — The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has awarded a $60,000 matching grant for the expansion of the SME Education Foundation’s Gateway Academy — a one-week pre-engineering summer program designed to introduce students, 7th through ninth grade, to the fundamentals of math, engineering, technology and science and prepare them for middle and high school engineering coursework offered by Project Lead The Way^®. The invitation-only Gateway Academy will be offered in metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Mo. during the summer of 2009.

In a unique partnership, the Gateway Academy program in Kansas City will be jointly funded by the SME Education Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation through its summer science enrichment initiative. The Foundation’s 2009 Summer METS (Math, Engineering, Technology and Science) programs provide engaging summer camp experiences for children, ages 5 to 15, to spark an interest in science. The Summer METS programs include school districts, community-based organizations, museums and colleges. During 2009, they are projected to serve over 2000 children from diverse backgrounds in the five counties of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

“We appreciate receiving the financial support of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that will allow us to expand the Gateway Academy,” says Khalil S. Taraman, PhD, FSME, PE, D.I.T., chair of Manufacturing Engineering at Lawrence Technological University and president of the SME Education Foundation. ’Introducing exciting, highly creative pre-engineering programs to young people, when they are most curious and inquisitive, allows us to present career possibilities never offered to their parents, and prepare them for the challenging future they will be facing.”

About the Gateway Academy

The concept of the Gateway Academy was created in a partnership between the SME Education Foundation and Project Lead the Way®, a not-for-profit organization that promotes engineering courses for middle and high school students. In 2008, the SME Education Foundation held 170 Gateway Academies and reached over 3,000 students in 25 states. Their goal is to increase to 220 Gateway Academies by 2010.

The Gateway Academy offers a weeklong, co-ed program allowing campers to work together in a fun and exciting environment. Students brainstorm ideas, solve problems and learn the basics of engineering concepts involving alternative energy, eco-design, robotics, manufacturing and aerodynamics, in a hands-on, project-based environment. The curriculum prepares middle and high school students for engineering coursework offered by Project Lead The Way^®.

In partnership with Project Lead The Way^®, National Academy Foundation and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc., the SME Education Foundation will provide funding to Academy of Engineering sites in the summer of 2009.

About the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – Education

The Kauffman Foundation’s focus on mathematics, engineering, technology and science (METS) education is to create a pipeline of talent that is prepared to take the lead in the global economy to make the great discoveries that will change the world. Our METS programs focus primarily in the greater Kansas City area, across 34 school districts. Through these efforts, we are putting new approaches to the test and supporting proven programs to advance the number of students who will excel in math and science and become the next generation of entrepreneurs. Visit www.kauffman.org.

About the SME Education Foundation

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation was created by SME in 1979 as a means of transforming manufacturing education in North American colleges and universities. As one of the nation’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education, its approach is to inspire youth to pursue careers in manufacturing; support students studying for a career in an engineering-related field, and prepare these students to participate in a global economy. The Foundation has provided more than $24 million in grants, scholarships and awards. Visit www.smeef.org and its award-winning Web site for young people, www.manufacturingiscool.com.

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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