New Pilot Program to Introduce Engineering to Pre- College Curricula Launches 40 High Schools

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced $4 million in funding over three years for a new pilot program, Engineering for US All (E4USA), to develop a precollege course on engineering principles and design.

"NSF plays a vital role in helping to build the nation's future engineering workforce, and a key part of that is enabling more students to have access to undergraduate engineering education," said Dawn Tilbury, NSF's assistant director for Engineering. "A standardized high school engineering course will help remove the mystery and democratize the learning and practice of engineering."

The primary aim of the program is to hone a curriculum integrating engineering principles and a student design project that has been developed by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the College Board. Another goal is to create and deploy a national professional development program that will prepare teachers to effectively teach the curriculum and assess student aptitude. Approximately 40 high schools and 1400 students will take part in the pilot.

The program will be led by the University of Maryland, in conjunction with Arizona State University, Morgan State University and Virginia Tech.

For further information on the E4USA program, click here: https://e4usa.umd.edu/