Three PLTW students from Dover High School in Ohio used design constraints to make something a little out of the ordinary for their reverse engineering project. Grace Baranack (junior), Madison Ladrach (sophomore), and Carley Boring (sophomore) developed a mold for making chocolate bars in Carl Conrad’s PLTW Introduction to Engineering Design class and now sell those treats at Dover City Schools events.
Vince Bertram, president and CEO of Project Lead The Way (PLTW), met the three students when he provided the keynote address at the PLTW Ohio State Conference at Sinclair Community College in Dayton in late November. Each student shared with him their experience with PLTW and how it has affected their plans for the future.
“Before PLTW, I was not sure on what career I wanted to pursue,” Baranack said. “As I took the PLTW classes, I learned that I wanted to become an engineer, but still wanted to work in the medical field somehow. My teacher then informed me about biomedical engineering. I did research on that field and became fascinated. Biomedical Engineering was the exact career I was looking for.”
Boring said PLTW made her realize that she wants to also pursue biomedical engineering because she can do something different every day in a field that is making a difference for the world.
Dover City Schools provides K-12 access to PLTW for their students and has seen tremendous success. District leaders say PLTW helps students connect their classroom learning to the world around them.
"We are thrilled with what PLTW has brought to our school district, as it teaches students to be creative problem solvers,” said Karie McCrate, assistant superintendent for Dover City Schools.
“Students have shown that they can take what they are learning in math and science and bring it to life with new creations of solutions to common problems. Students in PLTW develop a solutions-based mindset that serves them well in the classroom and helps them envision what they want for their future."
Stay current on Vince’s travels – and the latest in education and workforce development news – by following him on Twitter at @VinceBertram.
