“Governor
Edward G. Rendell and Secretary of Education Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak
Welcome You to the Pennsylvania RWDC”
2009 Pennsylvania State Champions ~ Cumberland Valley High School, Mechanicsburg
Jeff Pope, Vald Grinevich, Cody Ambrose, Kyle Gochenaur
On behalf of Governor Rendell and Secretary Zahorchak, we welcome you to Pennsylvania’s
Real World Design Challenge (RWDC). Pennsylvania is pleased to
be one of the states participating in the RWDC as this opportunity
aligns with the Department of Education’s efforts to build educational
capacity within our schools through the Standards Aligned System
(SAS). SAS is a framework based upon research that supports the
notion that great schools and school systems tend to have six
common elements: Clear Standards, Fair Assessments, Curriculum
Framework, Instruction, Materials and Resources and Interventions.
In partnership with the Department of Education, Pennsylvania’s deployment of
the RWDC is being supported by the Pennsylvania STEM Initiative.
The PA STEM Initiative is the Commonwealth's network of partners
committed to increasing educational and career exploration opportunities
in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines
for Pennsylvania students. For more information on Pennsylvania
STEM Initiative, visit www.pasteminitiative.com or contact Sue
Mukherjee, State Lead, at smukherjee@state.pa.us.
There are five Regional STEM Networks, with oversight and central support provided
by the Pennsylvania STEM Initiative and the Pennsylvania Department
of Education. Teachers interested in participating in the Real
World Design Challenge should contact their PA STEM Regional
Representative prior to registering for the Challenge. This helps
to establish a regional approach to Pennsylvania’s representation
in the RWDC and links teachers to resources that may be available
in their STEM Region. To locate which of the five PA STEM Regions
your school is located, please visit www.pasteminitiative.com.
Regional contacts are provided below:
Professional development for teachers:
- Each team will receive FREE permanent
licenses and upgrades of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire design software
(300 seats plus student
home use, worth $900,000) and one license of EFD.Pro fluid
dynamics simulation program.
- Learn a cutting-edge and multi-purpose
CAD software program including collaboration tools.
Opportunities for Students:
- Learn professional
tools and work with mentors from the US Department of Energy
(DOE), the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), industry
experts and higher education.
- Tackle a real-world
engineering problem in a context that addresses national
standards in science,
mathematics and
technology.
- Have submissions evaluated by
a Peer Review Committee, just as professional work is reviewed.
Register for a Teacher Training
Coordination is taking place with the various PA STEM Regions to offer Pro/Engineer
training for teachers in preparation for the 2008 RWDC, as well
as for competitions in future years. Current trainings are listed
below:
June 10th and 11th
8:00am -4:00pm |
Pro/ENGINEER Software Training
Workshop for Educators
INSTRUCTOR: Brenda Hittle
Register today by contacting the Pro/E Training Instructor -- Brenda Hittle -- bhittle@mccc.tec.pa.us or call 724-662-3000/ 814-547-8714. Registration closes effective June 2, 2009 |
Mercer County Career Center, 776 Greenville Road, Mercer, PA 16137 |
State News
TAKING FLIGHT - CV student engineers' wing design moves to national level, March 18, 2009
Gov. Rendell
Says Pennsylvania Students To Help Aviation Industry Go Green
With ‘Real World Design Challenge’, September 15, 2008
Photos
Secretary of Education, Dr. Gerald L. Zahorchak announces Pennsylvania’s participation in the Real World Design Challenge.
Dr. Ralph Coppola, Director, Global Government & Strategic Education Programs, Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) provides more details on the strategic significance of the Real World Design Challenge.
Fran Favara, Director, Engine and Propeller Directorate, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discusses private-public partnerships in developing the STEM pipeline.
Pro/Engineer Trainer Michael Amrhein (left) is presented with an Innovation Tools Certificate by Dr. Zahorchak and Dr. Coppola.
In celebration of Pennsylvania’s participation in the RWDC, Dr. Coppola and Dr. Zahorchak (left) are joined by teacher/coach Ann Camp with students Justin Nester and Alyssa Nester from the Commonwealth Connections Academy.
