HSD Students Experience Engineering in the Classroom Via Project Lead The Way

students are experiencing a new course in aerospace engineering through Project Lead The Way (PLTW).

The course, Aerospace Engineering, is descrbed on the PLTW website as a course that engages students in engineering design problems related to aerospace information systems, astronautics, rocketry, propulsion, the physics of space science, space life sciences, the biology of space science, principles of aeronautics, structures and materials, and systems engineering.

“Aerospace Engineering is another opportunity for Hazelwood students to prepare for careers in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math,” said Gail Stewart, an HSD learning facilitator in a statement. “Because of the District’s relationship with Boeing, we felt that this was a course to meet the needs of industry in our area, as well as our students’ needs and interests.”

A Division of Science Resources Studies National Science Foundation report states that 17 percent of working U.S. engineers, were non-native born. A steadily increasing statistic, PLTW is helping to instill a concept of math and science, as it related to the field, into students in America. 

PLTW is a not-for-profit organization that promotes pre-engineering courses for middle and high school students. PLTW forms partnerships with public schools, higher education institutions and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from the country’s educational system.

Each HSD high school, including , has the course offering. Prerequisites for the course include Principles of Engineering and Introduction to Engineering Design. Additional PLTW classes include Digital Electronics, Civil Engineering and Architecture and Computer Integrated Manufacturing.

HSD staff prepped to teach the courses during the summer at the University of Maryland. The teachers include West High School physics teacher Karl Hermann, Central High School industrial technology teacher Ben Creen, and East High School math teacher Kori Logan.

Before teaching in the district, Logan was an electrical engineer for seven years. This is her second year in the HSD and Logan said her class focuses on researching content for a documentary on aviation. 

Her class, which has five students, also started using the Microsoft Flight Simulator X program to earn a virtual pilot’s license.

“They'll build a Mars rover and be able to operate it from a distance, as if at mission control," she said of her class description in a statement. "They’ll build model rockets and work on a project using GPS technology.

"The class has many hands-on activities and the students can apply what they are learning to their projects."

Aerospace Engineering is Logan’s first PLTW class. She said it is an opportunity to experience two her loves, teaching and engineering.

"I love science and the technology aspect, and I love seeing the student’s enthusiasm," she said.

During the 2010-11, more than 2,000 students were enrolled in PLTW classes.