Fast track lures teen engineers
Michelle Woo
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 18, 2005 12:00 AM
With a few clicks of a mouse, students in Sylvia Grace's class piece
together Legos on a computer screen.
Though they may not realize it now, they could be building the foundation
for their futures.
Young whiz kids across the Valley are flocking to Mesa's Desert Ridge High
School to learn about an innovative pre-engineering program called Project
Lead the Way. Desert Ridge, part of the Gilbert district, is the only school
in the state to offer the curriculum.
Participants take a four-year series of elective courses that explore the
opportunities and rigor of the engineering field. Sponsored by the Intel
Corp., the hands-on learning program introduces students to numerous
in-demand careers.
"The bottom line is that the U.S. is lacking engineers," Grace said.
Grace is a licensed chemical engineer and the lead instructor of Project
Lead the Way. She answered parents' questions at an open house Wednesday.
Grace helped launch the program at Desert Ridge last fall after using the
curriculum in Texas.
This year, the school offers Introduction to Engineering and Design, a
course in which students create and analyze product solutions using computer
design software. At the open house, teens sat at their monitors, showing off
models of trains, soap dishes and Lego structures.
Next year they will move on to Principles of Engineering, which takes a
closer look at mechanical, civil and structural engineering.
Ember Bloomer, 15, is one of five girls in the program. There are 43
students total. Although Bloomer finds it difficult being in the minority,
she said she is confident that the experience will open doors.
"It's still a man's world," Grace said. "But the barriers are starting to
break down. It's tough, but females need to keep going."
Grace is working on getting national certification for the curriculum. If
obtained, students might be able to earn up to 12 general engineering units
through the Rochester Institute of Technology, which can be transferred to
several colleges across the nation.
More and more engineering schools are recognizing the program's caliber,
Grace said. Five of her Project Lead the Way students in Texas received full
engineering scholarships at the University of Texas at Austin.
As the program grows, additional courses will be offered, including Digital
Electronics, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, and Engineering Design and
Development. For their senior capstone projects, students will build a
prototype of a product and present it to a panel of engineers for a grade.
In all courses, students must continuously write about what they have
learned.
"If you have the best idea but can't convey it, it's worthless," Grace said.
Desert Ridge Principal Dan Coombs said he hopes the program will attract
students from across the Valley. Families from Queen Creek and Mesa school
districts heard about the open house through word of mouth.
"Some of the best promoters are students," said Coombs, who will accept open
enrollment applications. "If they're taking courses that are unique and
interesting, they're going to tell people."
Any Desert Ridge student enrolled in a college preparatory math course is
eligible. Information: www.pltw.org or
(480) 984-8947.