This has been an exciting year for The Infinity Project! The year started with 130 Infinity schools across 25 states and continues to expand as word spreads about this incredible program for high school students. As of today, 47 new schools have applied to join The Infinity Project! These results are due to the expansion and support programs we put into place at the beginning of the year. 

• We attended three national conferences reaching over 30,000 Math and Science Educators with information about The Infinity Project.

• Our organization received a grant from the Houston Endowment to assist in implementing The Infinity Project in all Region IV high schools in the Houston, Texas area. We created an awareness campaign and hosted several information sessions to spread the word to educators about the program and grant opportunity.

• Two new university sites, Santa Clara University and the University of Central Florida, were added to conduct Professional Development Institutes and help train new Infinity teachers this summer.

• We continue to expand the curriculum and recently piloted a middle school program at Johnson Middle School in McKinney, Texas. Work is also underway to develop a community college level program

As this school year comes to a close, we look forward to the new opportunities that lay ahead to enhance the engineering, math, and science education of all students.

Have a wonderful summer!

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The Houston Endowment Inc. has awarded The Infinity Project, the nation’s leading secondary engineering education program, $441,000 to expand its curricula to more Houston-area schools.

With the gift, local teachers in TEA Region IV will be able to apply for a $3,000 matching grant to introduce the award-winning curricula into their classroom. Approved by the Texas Education Agency, the curricula links math and science to real world engineering and technology applications. The program is a full-year course that allows students to design and build new technologies such as cell phones and creating movie special effects while reinforcing critical math and science skills. The Houston Endowment’s gift will be used to provide professional development for teachers and technology kits for the classroom.

The Infinity Project was developed by Southern Methodist University’s School of Engineering and Texas Instruments to encourage high school students to pursue engineering careers.

“Science and math curricula in high schools should include hands-on engineering projects,” says Geoffrey Orsak, dean of SMU’s School of Engineering and founder of The Infinity Project. “There is no better way to see math and science in action than through modern high-tech engineering. The Infinity Project gives students a big head start in developing their technical skills for the 21st century.”

To lean more about The Infinity Project and grant opportunity, contact Dianna Rey, Director of Academic Relations, at 214-768-1920 or drey@infinity-project.org.

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Instructor training is a very important element of the Infinity Project. Through a 40-hour week-long course, teachers receive extensive training that prepares them for the successful implementation of the program. Many teachers also enroll in the training as a refresher course.

Classes are taught by Master Instructors who have been teaching Infinity in their high school classroom for quite some time. Training encompasses every area of the curriculum and provides hands-on instruction in using the text, the technology kit, all hardware and software.

Professional Development Institute dates for 2005 are:

June 20 - 24	University of Houston	Houston, Texas
June 27 - July 1	Southern Methodist University	Dallas, Texas
July 11 – 15	Southern Methodist University	Dallas, Texas
July 18 – 22	Santa Clara University	Santa Clara, California
July 25 – July 29	University of Central Florida	Orlando, Florida

The cost of the course is $750. Participants will receive 35 hours of Professional Development credit upon completion.

After training, teachers have instant access to a special instructors-only Infinity website that contains discussion groups, sample exercises and a wealth of resources that help maximize the Infinity experience for students.

Reserve your space now by registering at http://www.infinity-project.org/join/join_appprocess.html.

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Riverside High School was fist introduced to The Infinity Project in the spring of 2001. Elsa Villa, School of Engineering at the University of Texas at El Paso, invited Dr. Geoffrey Orsak of Southern Methodist University and Torrence Robinson of Texas Instruments to tour our campus and review the Engineering Pathway Program we planned to implement in the fall.

After hearing more information about The Infinity Project and how the curriculum brings math and science to life through engineering, Principal Lionel Nava committed to fund the project that summer. We purchased 15 technology kits and began implementation in the fall of 2001.

The first year we offered The Infinity Project, we had a “huge” class of one. The second year we had two students, and the third year we had four. This year we had 21 students and a room with 24 computers that were used for Infinity and the CAD program. So far, 89 students have signed up for Infinity this coming fall.

The Infinity Project has proven to be the perfect fit for our Engineering Pathway Program. The pathway is a four-year program. The first year introduces students to the principles of engineering and the various fields of engineering. The second year introduces students to drafting and computer animated drafting. The Infinity Project is introduced during the third year and fourth year. Also during the fourth year, students intern with professional engineers. This allows them to gain real-world engineering experience.

The Infinity Project has had a tremendous impact on our students. It provides them with the opportunity to see what the world of engineering has to offer. This year we graduate our first class of Engineering Pathway students. More than half of those students will go on to seek a degree in engineering.

In closing, I would like to say that it’s OK to start small and see your program develop into something great over time.

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As a profession, what is engineering all about?

When I graduated from engineering school and entered into industry, I quickly learned what engineering is about. It’s not about theory or being an expert in calculus; it’s about solving practical problems. Math and physics just became tools for me to use in my job.

As an aeronautical engineer, I started my career in a flight simulation laboratory. Our Navy customer was interested in how to improve the performance of their fighter pilots in an environment with many airborne and surface threats. The Navy wanted to know what future sensors and cockpit displays would be the most advantageous to the pilot. I used math to describe how advanced radar and jammers could perform. We then used the math models of the proposed sensors in simulations with real Navy pilots and many real and simulated combatants to see how well they worked together. It was great to see your ideas and concepts come to life.

We would make adjustments based on how well the pilots did and then flew the battle all over again to see if there is an improvement. When we completed the study we passed our requirements for the future sensors and cockpit displays on to the manufactures to build the actual hardware. Today, some of what we designed is actually in F/A-18 Hornets fighters..

Students have the advantage with The Infinity Project to learn what engineering is all about early in their education. The Infinity Project sets the environment for students early on and opens the door to where imagination and education meet. This gives industry and students a great head start.

Will the engineering jobs be outsourced offshore?

This topic is in the news quite often and received a lot of attention during the 2004 Presidential race. It is true that nations all over the world have greatly increased the number of engineers. Some companies are taking advantage of that foreign talent for low skill tasks. However, a recent study from Deloitte Consulting LLP reveals that outsourcing is falling from favor with the world’s largest organizations. The April 2005 study concludes that:

• 70% of participants have had significant negative experiences with outsourcing projects and are now exercising greater caution with this approach.
• One in four participants have brought functions back in-house after realizing they could be addressed more successfully and/or at a lower cost internally.
• 40% of participants did not see cost savings materialize as a result of outsourcing.

The bottom line is if something or someone is critical to your business, outsourcing just does not make sense.

Great engineers are as much about imagination and the ability to think than having the most detailed technical knowledge. The U.S. has dominated the world in creating and designing the best products and services in the world. In fact, the U.S. has made products that have transformed societies all over the world. Our great engineers are produced from both a world-class educational system and our culture. How we think about technology, business and society is something that is unique to our country. So while some outsourcing overseas will continue, it will not be the high skill jobs where the U.S. dominates.

To read the full report, follow this link:
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/press_release/0,1014,sid%253D1018%2526cid%253D80537,00.html

What are the job prospects for electrical engineering and computer science engineers in Texas?

This year is a milestone year for engineering jobs in Texas. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2005-2008 the Texas engineering workforce needs 4,600 electrical engineering and computer science replacements each year due to growth and demographics. However, Texas will average only 1,870 E.E. and C.S. bachelor degree graduates each year during that time period. That means a shortfall each year of over 2,700 electrical and computer science engineers. Lockheed Martin alone has said that they will need 90,000 engineers by the end of the decade.

In the engineering profession, the best and brightest will always have opportunities as engineers or as managers. For young people who want to be engineers, my advice is this: Follow your passion, make learning a lifelong task and be flexible. I think that is good advice for any profession.

This is a narrative provided by Mark McClure, Executive Director of the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium (TETC). He has 24 years of experience in various technical and executive assignments in engineering, research & development, and business management. Mark served as the R&D Manager for the B-2 Stealth Bomber.

TETC is a partnership among government government-industry-academia that directs grants and other resources to 34 eligible institutions of higher education to increase the number of electrical engineering and computer science graduates, create technical research and degree programs, and encourage collaborative efforts between academic programs and the private sector. Currently, TETC is hosted by Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

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The Infinity staff has been on the road spreading the word about the program to over 30,000 Math and Science Educators at national conferences. The reception and interest in the curriculum from teachers across the country attending T3, NSTA, and NCTM has been outstanding!

Conference participants enjoyed presentations by Infinity Master Instructors Aurelia Weil (Cor Jesu Academy, St. Louis, MO) and Richard Taylor (The Hockaday School, Dallas, TX) as well as Dr. Scott Douglas and Dr. Marc Christensen, both from Southern Methodist University School of Engineering.

Upcoming conferences for the balance of 2005 include:

Conference for Advancement of Mathematics Teaching
July 11 – 13, 2005
Adam’s Mark Hotel, Dallas, Texas

Conference for Advancement of Science Teaching
October 27 – 29, 2005
The Reliant Center, Houston, Texas

We hope to see you at one of these conferences. If you miss us and would like more information about The Infinity Project, visit our website at www.infinity-project.org or message us at ipmail@infinity-project.org.

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