ASME to Offer Houston-Area Teachers Ways to Bring Engineering into the Classroom

Inspire Innovation Workshop Set for Jan. 21

NEW YORK, Jan 18, 2012 – In an effort to engage elementary school teachers in practical methods to teach basic concepts associated with engineering, ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) will sponsor a free half-day workshop in Houston on Jan. 21, 2012.

 Inspire Innovation Workshop: Engineering in the Classroom, set to begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, will bring together engineers and third, fourth and fifth grade teachers from the Houston area to assess best practices to incorporate engineering principles into the daily math, science, and social studies elementary school curricula.

Funded by the ASME Foundation and National Engineers Week Foundation, the workshop will involve teachers in hands-on activities that will enable the K-12 educators to present technical material in an engaging and motivational way.  The engineers participating in the forum will present guidance and curriculum materials to aid teachers, including ASME’s Heroes of Engineering design challenges book which includes fun-oriented hands-on lessons in design, problem solving, and teamwork.

“As the engineering co-chair of the nationwide STEM coalition, ASME shares the notion that children need to be exposed to creative and exciting classroom experiences that will inspire them to one day grow into engineering innovators and problem solvers,“ said Victoria A. Rockwell, the president of ASME.  “The Inspire Innovation Workshop is a key component of the Society’s outreach in STEM education, which helps bring educators and engineers closer so that together we can secure the nation’s future technical workforce.”

The Jan. 21 workshop, one in a series of similar workshops that the Society has held at different venues, also will include a presentation showing how engineers and scientists are involved in improving the quality of life throughout the world.

Inspire Innovation Workshop: Engineering in the Classroom is associated to ASME’s program planning for Engineers Week 2012, which begins on Feb. 19 and continues through Feb. 25. As co-chair of EWeek 2012, ASME supports the mission of the National Engineers Week Foundation to sustain and grow a dynamic engineering profession through outreach, education, celebration, and volunteerism.

About ASME ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. For more information visit www.asme.org.