Education Foundation News

As one of the first recipients of SME’s new Irving P. McPhail Scholarship, Brayden Miller is pursuing an associate degree in electrical and mechanical engineering at Rose State College. From there, he plans to transfer to a four-year university to get a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

April is Celebrate Diversity Month, and the SME Education Foundation continues to reinforce its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) by providing increased programming opportunities to underrepresented students in communities across the country.

Racine Case High School in Wisconsin has transformed their SME PRIME program by creating a machine-repair career pathway, implementing new courses, and providing students with training experience using a Festo equipment training system.

A sophomore at Georgia Tech, scholarships are critical to sustaining Gideon Ndeh. “Scholarships are life changing. They shift the momentum; allow focus on my education. They’ve been a necessity — they’ve changed everything. I feel blessed.”

Last year, nearly 900 students from 30 high schools in 12 U.S. states participated in Student Summits that took place at four SME events: RAPID + TCT, EASTEC, SOUTHTEC and WESTEC. In all, nine full days of Student Summits — made possible by a donation from the Arconic Foundation — took place during the SME events.

As we begin the new year, it’s important to reflect on the record year that was 2021.

Hemlock High School — an SME PRIME high school in Saginaw, Michigan —senior Ben Lockwood is off to a promising start to a career in manufacturing and engineering. Ben credits access to professional equipment and industry certifications as a rewarding experience that gives him a competitive edge in advancing his future career ambitions.

Nicole Tharp is a Manufacturing Automation student at Truckee Meadows Community College slated to graduate in the coming months with her associate degree. Nicole has received two scholarships from the SME Education Foundation, and credits that assistance as important in allowing her to focus on her studies.

SME PRIME students at the Saginaw Career Complex in Michigan recently participated in a student engagement activity that included a hands-on supply chain exercise with representatives from Dow Chemical Co., a partner of the Saginaw Intermediate School District (ISD).

Our scholarship application process for 2022-23 is now open. If you are an engineering professional or educator with a STEM background, please consider volunteering to serve as a scholarship application reviewer for our online review process.