PA STEM Initiative and the Department of Energy’s Real World Design Challenge
Pro E Trainig Flyer | Overview of Real Word Design Challenge | Overview for Teachers
As a result of the Pennsylvania STEM Initiative, Pennsylvania is one of 10 states in the nation to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Real World Design Challenge. The challenge is an opportunity for high school teachers and their students to submit solutions associated with a real world engineering design problem. Student teams work on the design problem by utilizing engineering design software and receiving guidance from their teacher and mentoring offered by scientists and engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratories.
A unique and exciting aspect of the Real World Design Challenge is that it requires very little resources for schools to become capable to participate. Parametric Technology Corporation, maker of Pro ENGINEER design software, has partnered with the Department of Energy and will supply 300 free student software licenses (worth nearly $1 million) to schools whose teachers are trained on the software.
Training for 15 high school teachers from area school districts will be offered on March 13 and 14 at Saint Francis University. In order to further support regional schools, 10 mini-grants to cover registration costs and a portion of schools’ substitute fees have been provided through the Central PA STEM Initiative, Concurrent Technologies Corporation, Mission Critical Solutions, Kuchera Industries, CBM Business Machines, and an anonymous donor.