Anderson School District Five Project Lead The Way Academy of Engineering Wanda T. Staggers, Dean of Manufacturing & Engineering

Anderson School District Five Schools  Spring 2000  T. L. Hanna High School Westside High School  Fall 2002  Hanna-Westside Extension Campus  Fall 2006  Southwood Middle School  Fall 2007  McCants Middle School  Fall 2008  Lakeside Middle School

Gateway to Technology Middle School Program  Design and Modeling  The Magic of Electrons  The Science of Technology  Automation and Robotics  Flight and Space

High School Pathway To Engineering  Foundation Courses:  Introduction to Engineering Design  Principles of Engineering  Digital Electronics  Specialization Courses:  Aerospace Engineering  Biotechnical Engineering  Civil Engineering and Architecture  Computer Integrated Manufacturing  Capstone Course:  Engineering Design and Development

High School Biomedical Sciences Program  Principles of Biomedical Sciences™  Human Body Systems™  Medical Intervention™  Science Research™

High School Certification  All high schools must be certified by the second year in the program and re-certified every five years  The certification process requires schools to demonstrate  they meet PLTW’s quality standards in professional development of teachers and counselors;  the implementation of curriculum using required equipment and software;  the formation of a Partnership Team

Honors and College Credit  Anderson County School District Five offers an honors level and college prep level of each high school PLTW course.  Numerous colleges and universities across the nation offer college credit for successful completion of high school PLTW courses. The credit agreement varies among the institutions.  University of South Carolina transfer agreement:  USC requires the 1100 SAT or 3.0 to qualify for admission for USC credit  PLTW requires 85% for course and 70% on qualifying exam  Clemson University transfer agreement:  At least a course grade of “B” and at least a college exam grade of “70” in PLTW Principles of Engineering and any other PLTW course.

PLTW Instructor Training  University of South Carolina Summer Training Institute  Local ongoing training  PLTW Online Virtual Academy  PLTW ListServ

Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Clemson University Serita Acker, Program Director

PEER/WISECLEMSON UNIVERSITY College of Engineering & Science  Grants more than 2/3 of the engineering degrees in South Carolina  Clemson has 9 undergraduate engineering majors Our educational mission is to prepare engineering & science graduates to succeed in careers and continue life- long learning

PEER/WISECLEMSON UNIVERSITY COES Commitment to Diversity  Women In Science & Engineering (WISE) established in 1995 to increase female retention in the College outgrowth of the PEER program.

PEER/WISECLEMSON UNIVERSITY How are Clemson women doing? Look at the GPA’s

PEER/WISECLEMSON UNIVERSITY Facts on Women in Science and Engineering  Statistics show that women are 46 percent of the U.S. workforce  They are 48.6 percent of the total college-degreed workforce.  Only, 24.7 percent of the Science and Engineering workforce.

PEER/WISECLEMSON UNIVERSITY Clemson University  Recruitment  Between % of the females at COES 670 Females undergrad Grad 256 Females Total COES population 3580 Retention 6 year retention 44.8% 4 year retention 45.8 %

It’s A Girl Thing® IGT is unique in that it is a year long program established within the school system and is part of the girls’ normal school day. The meetings provide a secure learning environment designed for girls only. Funded by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation

Purpose  Target middle school girls to introduce the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (STEM) in a safe and encouraging learning environment  Expose girls to nontraditional educational and professional career fields while also increasing self-confidence  Provide training in career supporting skills such as team-work, oral presentation, social skills, and an exposure to cultural and current events  There will be no cost to the participants

Research  Women are less likely to complete their science and engineering degree programs than men. Women constitute 52 percent of all people leaving a science or engineering discipline at an undergraduate level (Seymour, 1997, p. 399).  This gap, though significant, is not the primary determining factor in the lack of women represented in science and engineering. The largest drop in women’s participation in science and engineering comes during the transition between high school and college. It is at this time that women decide not to pursue science and engineering academically. In order to get a clear understanding of why there are so few women in science and engineering fields, it is necessary to look at what many people see as the most important stage in the academic ‘pipeline’, women’s middle school and high school experiences (Notices, 1991, pp. 721).

Objectives  Girls involved in the IGT program will:  Have an increased academic self-confidence  Have a desire for exploration in the fields of STEM.  gain a better understanding of how advancements in the STEM fields directly affect females.  be more likely to enroll in nontraditional courses at the high school  be more likely to become involved in other STEM related activities outside of school  be more likely to enroll in nontraditional programs at the two- and four-year college levels  be more likely to seek employment in nontraditional career fields  be more likely to serve as leaders for younger girls that will follow

Need for It’s A Girl Thing®  In the high school where the females continue their education, similar percentages are reflected in HASP mathematics scores.  No high school science data was available. Taken from The 2006 State of South Carolina Annual School Report Cards Females Below Basic in PACT Mathematics Females Below Basic in PACT Science Southwood Middle21.1%42.2% Lakeside Middle17.7%28.0% McCants Middle16.8%18.7%

Need for It’s A Girl Thing®  Maintaining female enrollment in the district Project Lead the Way program has been a challenge since its inception.  The Hanna-Westside Extension Campus (HWEC) annually receives a performance report on the Carl Perkins standards for career and technology education. HWEC provides career and technology education to T.L. Hanna and Westside high school students.  The performance report addresses six standards, two of which have been an ongoing challenge;  Standard 5 Nontraditional Participation and  Standard 6 Nontraditional Retention.

Introduction to It’s A Girl Thing: An overview of many of the careers fields available

Introduction to Civil Engineering Design a structure to hold the weight of a textbook

Introduction to Chemical Engineering Experiment to determine the rate at which a mint will dissolve in gelatin to simulate medicine within the human body

Introduction to Civil Engineering Design the tallest tower structure using toothpicks and mini marshmallows

Introduction to Chemical Engineering Chemical vs physical reactions: acids and bases Vinegar and baking soda, glue, and borax

Introduction to Chemical Engineering Chemical vs physical reactions: acids and bases Mentos candy and bottled soda

Introduction to Chemical Engineering Girls made their own chapstick

Introduction to Transportation Engineering Design an efficient Puff Mobile for distance

Introduction to Industrial Engineering Design an efficient team assembly process using Tinker® Toys

Introduction to Electrical Engineering Design an electrical circuit using a four-lemon battery

SC DNA Learning Center and Clemson University

Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill and The Alvin Ailey Dancers, Brooks Center at Clemson University

Publicity

Southwood Middle School Lakeside Middle SchoolMcCants Middle School

The hands on activities have boosted participating females’ interest/grades in science and math. The students are eager to attend the class and have positive remarks about the meetings. One student attended the summer program and was eager to participate in the meetings this year. Some of the females that attended the Science and Engineering Expo at Clemson have changed career interest to science and engineering. Pat Wardlaw, Eighth Grade Counselor Lakeside Middle School

By having the different students come in and talk to the girls from the different areas of engineering it gave them a lot of information on what kinds of engineering was out there. They enjoyed doing the different projects related to their field of engineering because it allowed them to have a hands-on approach and the opportunity to experience it on a smaller scale. Serena Coughenour, Guidance McCants Middle School

The It’s A Girl Thing participants at Lakeside Middle School have benefited from being exposed to female role models who have achieved in math and science. They have also connected math and science to careers and fostered the belief that I am a girl and I can do it! Robin Cathey, GCDF Guidance Counselor Lakeside Middle School

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT