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ENGINEERING
SMArT
MICHIGAN
TM
BACKGROUND: The State of Michigan is in
the midst of a critical engineering shortage; job
opportunities abound while the supply for qualified
workers continue to dwindle. With 6,500-plus
members from numerous disciplines, backgrounds and
age groups, ESD has witnessed the problem first-hand
and finds that:
• 80% of the jobs that will be created over the next
10 years will require some form of post-secondary
STEM education.
• Urban markets supply far fewer students to
engineering schools than other geographic
areas, mostly due to lack of exposure to career
opportunities.
• In the U.S. about 5% of all bachelor's degrees are in
engineering--compared to Asia where about 20%
are engineering degrees.
While The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD)
manages a successful middle school program, the
Michigan Regional Future City Competition, it became
apparent that the need was dire to develop a high
school program that could help feed the pipeline
of STEM education in Michigan and thus in 2011
the Engineering SMArT (Science, Mathematics,
Architecture and Technology) Michigan™ program
was created.
Twenty-five engineers from various companies in
Southeast Michigan volunteered hours of their time to
develop a hands-on course of study that would provide
students with the basics of engineering.
Since its inception, the program has attracted
hundreds of students. This year, the number of schools
participating has doubled to eight high schools and
more than two dozen teams.
VISION: The program is designed to provide real
world applications of science, math architecture and
technology, enabling students to address critical
energy and environmental challenges realized in their
local communities. Engineering SMArT Michigan™ is
a supplement to the current curriculum and includes
development in literacy, numeracy and science
reasoning.
COMPONENTS: Some of the components that
this easy-to-administer program includes are as
follows:
• A fully planned curriculum, supported by
Engineering Society of Detroit staff
• All materials required for the project
• A teacher handbook
• A student journal
• Training for teachers
• An engineer mentor working with your group on a
weekly basis
• A competition at the end of the program,
with engineers, architects and other technical
professionals serving as judges
• A fun and educational field trip related to the
project, coordinated by ESD staff
• $30,000 scholarships to Lawrence Technological
University for the winning teams
• Opportunities for summer internships
20700 Civic Center Drive, Suite 450 # Southfield, MI 48076 # 248-353-0735 # www.esd.org
PURPOSE: Working with their teachers and
volunteer engineer mentors, the program will
engage students to envision and shape their own
communities through a new understanding of energy,
and will cultivate their desire to be active contributors
to the sustainability and vitality of their environment.
Through a series of learning modules, students will
be introduced to the basics of energy, alternative
energies, home energy efficiencies, and the electrical
grid, as well as how to do architectural drawings
to scale.
OUTCOMES: The curriculum is aligned with ACT
College-Ready Standards, Next Generation Science
Standards and Common Core State Standards.
Students will design an architectural rendering of an
efficient home, write an essay about the engineering
design process, and make an oral presentation to a
team of judges during a day-long competition in May
2014. A pre and post test that evaluates students’
perceptions of STEM careers and their proficiency
in literacy, numeracy, and science reasoning will be
administered. The results will be shared with schools
and partners.
The top three winning teams will receive $30,000
each in scholarships from Lawrence Technological
University. Selected students from each school
participating in the program will be eligible for a
summer internship opportunity.
Time Schedule: Engineering SMArT Michigan™
is scheduled to run from January to May 2015. Topics
are spread across two week increments to allow for the
engineer mentor to teach the topic and students to
complete the homework.
More Information: For further information
about the Engineering SMArT Michigan™ program,
contact Allison Marrs at 248-353-0735, ext. 121, or
e-mail amarrs@esd.org.
©2014 The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD). All rights reserved. These materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior express
written permission of ESD. These materials are proprietary to ESD and may not be disclosed or used for purposes that do not inure to the benefit of ESD.
“ESD” is a registered trademark of ESD. "Engineering SMArT Michigan" is a trademark of ESD. For further information, please visit the Terms of Use on our
website at www.esd.org.
ENGINEERING
The Engineering Society of Detroit # www.esd.org
SMArT
MICHIGAN
TM