DEARBORN, Mich., May 19, 2008 — The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation has tripled the number of summer Gateway Academy programs – formerly called STEPS Academy – since last year, supporting 181 academies where secondary school students receive hands-on experience that support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
The number of week-long summer programs is growing because of increased financial support from corporate and other donors across the nation. Those supporters, along with the SME Education Foundation, which is investing $1.2 million in this year's Gateway Academies, are committed to sparking middle school students' interests in manufacturing and technology careers. The Gateway Academy programs, organized as day camps, provide fun and challenging high-tech projects using curriculum developed by Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a nonprofit organization that promotes pre-engineering education for middle and high school students.
"Thanks to our financial partners and the increasing popularity of Gateway Academy programs, young people in 26 states this year will have access to a unique learning experience,” said Bart Aslin, director of the SME Education Foundation. "This is important because today's kids make career-affecting decisions at an earlier age, and their exposure to the exciting possibilities of engineering and manufacturing, we believe, will lead more of these kids into pursuing similar careers. Together, Gateway Academy and PLTW's Gateway to Technology curriculum offers them a whole range of possibilities they might not have considered.”
Gateway Academy programs and PLTW were established to help introduce more American children to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. More graduates are needed in these fields to replace to number of skilled workers expected to leave the workforce in the next 10 to 15 years.
Listed below are the Gateway Academy corporate sponsors for 2008:
California: 20 Gateway Academy programs, with support from Intel and Solar Turbines.
Colorado: 12 Gateway Academy programs, with support from Intel.
Iowa: one Gateway Academy program, with support from John Deere.
Illinois: three Gateway Academy programs, with support from Caterpillar.
Kansas: one Gateway Academy program, with support from Kauffman Foundation.
Michigan: 17 Gateway Academy programs, with support from Automation Alley, Ford, Chrysler, Haworth and Verizon.
Minnesota: six Gateway Academy programs, with support from Andersen Windows and H.B. Fuller.
Missouri: 20 Gateway Academy programs, with support from Kauffman Foundation, Emerson and Harley-Davidson.
New Jersey: two Gateway Academy programs, with support from Andersen Windows.
Ohio: 22 Gateway Academy programs, with support from American Electric Power (AEP), PPG Industries and Emerson.
Oklahoma: two Gateway Academy programs, with support from AEP.
Pennsylvania: seven Gateway Academy programs, with support from Heinz Foundation.
South Carolina: 20 Gateway Academy programs, with support from South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance, Capsugel, Eaton Corp., Colonial Life Insurance, Fujifilm, Davis & Floyd, Greenwood Partnership Alliance, Goodrich Corporation.
Wisconsin: 13 Gateway Academy programs, with support from Kern Family Foundation, Rockwell Automation, and Harley-Davidson.
Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia: 36 Gateway Academy programs, with support from the SME Education Foundation.
Autodesk and SME Chapter members contributed funding to provide scholarships for students to attend Gateway Academies across the United States.
About the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation is one of the nation's leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education. Its approach is threefold: to inspire youth to pursue careers in manufacturing; to 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. 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.
About Project Lead the Way
Project Lead The Way® is a not-for-profit organization that promotes pre-engineering courses for middle and high school students. PLTW forms partnerships with public schools and higher education institutions and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from our educational system.
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