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The
Infinity Project Newsletter
October 2006: Volume 6 - Issue 1
Now is the Time!
By Tammy Richards
Executive Director, The Infinity Project
Effective Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(STEM) Education is critical for students to succeed in a
knowledge-based economy. The number of jobs for engineers
and computer scientists is expected to grow 36 percent through
2010 in the United States.
Sadly, only 5 percent of the 1.1 million high school students
that took the ACT college entrance exam in 2005 planned to
seek an engineering degree. The need to get students excited
about engineering and the career opportunities the field has
to offer is more important than ever!
How do we accomplish this? To start, we help students understand
what engineers do and how engineering is behind the creation
of just about everything that touches their lives. From the
cologne they wear, ice cream cone they eat, escalator they
use, or electronic music player they listen to – engineering
is everywhere.
The Infinity Project is proud to do its part to address the
STEM crisis by offering a curriculum that provides instructors
with the power to turn students on to engineering! It makes
math and science relevant by linking these concepts to technologies
students use everyday.
During the last year, the number of schools offering The
Infinity Project increased by 32%. Seventy-five instructors
attended Professional Development Institutes to become certified
to teach the program. One hundred and forty-four girls from
across the nation spent the summer learning about engineering
through The Infinity Project. The curriculum is expanding
along with the opportunities to build the technology leaders
of tomorrow.
If you have been thinking about implementing an engineering
curriculum at your school – now is the time. If your
company has been thinking about ways to enhance engineering
education at the school level – now is the time. Contact
us today to find out how you can get involved with Infinity
– now is the time!
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More Schools Implementing
High-Tech Engineering
By Dianna Rey
Director of Academic Relations
What an exciting year it has been for The Infinity Project!
More and more schools across the country and abroad are implementing
The Infinity Project curriculum into their classrooms to help
build the technology leaders of the future.
This year, Infinity added 51 new schools and 8 new states
to the program. A total of 210 high schools in 34 states have
completed certification training and are utilizing this high-tech
engineering curriculum to help students see the math and science
behind the technologies they use everyday – Internet,
cell phones, digital cameras, and electronic music players.
Students are learning how sines and cosines relate
to digital music, how the matrix math concept relates to the
manipulation of digital images. Students are applying
these concepts to exciting hands-on design projects such as
building a sinusoidal MIDI player or digital band. Students
are gaining a better understanding of what the field
of engineering is all about. Instructors are preparing
students for a successful career in the global workforce.
If your institution is interested in offering this innovative
curriculum, complete the application at http://www.infinity-project.org/joinnow.
Your students will benefit from the decision you make today!
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Infinity Curriculum Expands!
By Rosemary Aguilar
Director of Curriculum and Professional
Development
The Infinity Project is pleased to announce the development
of additional curricula materials to help students understand
the application of math and science to real engineering problems.
The following program will be available for implementation
Fall 2007.
The Infinity Project - Computer Applications
- Primarily serves students in grades nine and ten
- Students learn about and apply engineering design principles
to solve problems. In addition, students will also learn the real-world,
mathematics-based origins of the solutions they create.
- Pre-requisites: Basic Math and Science
- Aligns with the Texas Computer Applications Essential Knowledge
& Skills
- Full year curriculum. Utilizes textbook “Engineering
Our Digital Future” and Infinity Technology Kit. Student
lab manual, presentation slides and daily lesson plan guide specific
to course will be available Fall 2007.
- Five-day Professional Development Institute will allow new
and current instructors to become certified to offer course. Sessions
will be available June – August, 2007 at Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, Texas.
In addition to the computer applications course, The Infinity
Project will offer an advanced supplemental lab applications
curriculum to experienced Infinity instructors. This material
will allow students to use their creativity to “think
outside the box” and further explore the engineering design
process. The following program will also be available for implementation
in the fall.
The Infinity Project – Advanced Lab Applications
- Serves students in grades ten, eleven, and twelve
- Challenges students to further explore the engineering
design process through project-based lab applications.
- Pre-requisites: Algebra II and one-lab based Science
- Three-day Professional Development Institute will
be available to current Infinity instructors to become certified
to offer material. Sessions will be available June –
August 2007 at Southern Methodist University.
- Instructors will learn how to implement new activities
into the classroom and be provided with the opportunity
to share their own design projects with other instructors.
If you have questions about any of the new curricula programs,
please email ipmail@infinity-project.org
or call 214-768-4038.
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Professional Development Key
to Success!
By Dianna Rey
Director of Academic Relations
This past summer, 75 high school and university instructors
throughout the country took part in a week long Professional
Development Institute to become certified Infinity instructors.
Training was conducted by Master Infinity Instructors, and
Institutes were hosted on four university campuses:
- Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California
- Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
- University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
- University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Participants received hands-on instruction in using the text,
lab manual, and technology kit. They also received support
materials to help prepare them to implement the curriculum
into the classroom.
- Textbook "Engineering Our Digital Future"
- Instructors Manual with answers to FAQ's, homework
solutions, sample test questions
- Student Lab Manual with step-by-step instructions
on building applications
- Daily Lesson Plan Guide with instructional strategy
and assignments
- Chapter Lecture prepared in PowerPoint
- Access to On-line Customer Support
Training also provided instructors with the opportunity to
network and share ideas with their peers. The excitement and
energy of these new Infinity instructors is evident from the
following comments:
“Excellent training! I will be able to apply it
to my class this next semester. I teach communications and
it will help the students understand what is really happening.”
“The content (especially chapters 1 - 4) is very
fascinating and will be exciting for students. I enjoyed he
time in the lab where we could see and hear the results of
our theories!”
“The instructor was knowledgeable, experienced
and very helpful. I learned many new concepts because she
made difficult content easier to understand.”
“I like the application of mathematics with the
integration of technology.”
The schedule for 2007 Summer Professional Development Institutes
is currently being developed. Information on upcoming sessions
will be posted on the Infinity website during the first quarter
of 2007.
If you know of an additional instructor at your school interested
in implementing the Infinity curriculum, please direct them
to the website at www.infinity-project.org
to sign up for professional development certification training.
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Engineering Camp for Girls
Huge Success!
By Dr. Betsy Willis
Southern Methodist University
What do 144 female high school students, 3 weeks, over 100
female engineers, and one dynamic Infinity instructor equal?
SMU Engineering Camps for Girls!
Over the course of 15 hours during the summer of 2006, 144
female high school students, representing 74 schools from
throughout the nation, gained hands-on engineering experience
at the SMU Engineering Camp for Girls. Students learned to
apply math concepts using The Infinity Project curriculum
and participated in group design projects – all under
the direction of Jerone Mitchell, instructor at W.T. White
High School in Dallas, Texas. At the close of each session,
students completed and presented design projects based on
The Infinity Project lab applications involving object tracking
and blue screen technology.
Camp participants explored many areas of engineering by touring
the SMU campus, engineering labs and facilities. Students
gained first hand knowledge of civil and environmental engineering
as they toured the new Embrey Engineering Building, an environmentally
friendly building, with the engineers and architects.
Each week, students were provided with the opportunity to
speak one-on-one with female engineers from leading fortune
100 companies. Luncheons were sponsored by Nortel, Raytheon,
and Texas Instruments. These events allowed students to learn
more about the exciting career opportunities available to
them in the field of engineering.
In camp evaluations, students reported becoming interested
in engineering during their high school years. The most influential
people in fostering students’ interest in engineering
were science and math teachers, in addition to their parents
and friends. The majority of students had participated in
band/orchestra, the science fair, and talented & gifted
programs. Additionally, 20 students reported having participated
in The Infinity Project at their high schools!
Through the efforts of Tegwin Pulley of Texas Instruments,
the camp was provided at no cost to participants and made
possible by funding from the 2005 Maura Awards.
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Grant Available for Engineering
Education
If you have been thinking about adding an engineering curriculum
to your high school, now is the time! The Houston Endowment
is providing a special grant opportunity for TEA Region IV
schools to implement The Infinity Project at ½ the
cost!
Schools in the following districts have already taken advantage
of this opportunity to introduce state-of-the-art high tech
engineering into their classrooms: Aldine, Alief, Brazosport,
Galena Park, Goose Creek, Hempstead, Houston, and Pasadena
Independent School Districts.
The Houston Endowment Grant provides professional development
for teachers and technology kits for the classroom. The Infinity
Project curriculum is approved by the Texas Education Agency
and provides a direct link between math and science concepts
and the technologies students use every day. Hands-on design
projects reinforce critical math and science skills and allow
students to solve problems like real engineers.
For more information, contact Dianna Rey, Director of Academic
Relations, at 214-768-1920 or drey@infinity-project.org.
Applications are currently being accepted for the 2007/2008
school year! To apply, complete the application located at:
http://www.infinity-project.org/infinity/infinity_grants.html.
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