DETROIT – A one-week
training program is now offered to middle and high school STEM teachers to
expose them to valuable lessons in physical science and chemistry, from an
engineering perspective, to use for new STEM courses in their schools or to
integrate into existing curricula.
The program is offered
through Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), ASM International and the
ASM Educational Foundation. STEM is short for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
“Employers in the 5-state LIFT region including
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee will need to fill nearly
500,000 manufacturing-related job vacancies created by an aging workforce in
the coming decade,” said Larry Brown, executive director, LIFT. “Many of these
jobs will require more highly skilled workers who understand new technologies
like those being developed in our manufacturing innovation institute.”
Curriculum content on
the use of lightweight metals and new technologies will be integrated into the
programs at 45 camps around the nation, including 12 camps throughout Michigan,
Ohio and Indiana scheduled for the summer of 2015. The program teaches high
school and middle school teachers to use every-day materials to provide
hands-on and meaningful learning experiences that are proven to engage and
inspire students in science, engineering, technology and mathematics.
“Teachers are our most
valuable resource to build an educated and skilled manufacturing workforce,”
said Emily Stover DeRocco, Workforce and Education Director, LIFT. “The
cultivation of workers in the coming decade will be instrumental in the success
of manufacturing in the region.”
Professor Glenn Daehn of
Ohio State University will serve as the Materials Camp technical advisor.
Program education and industry partners include 38 host educational
institutions, 200 Master Teachers and faculty, ASM Educational Foundation, ASM
International, and local ASM chapter industry volunteers.
“These camps will help
provide a skilled workforce to meet current and future workforce demands,” said
Daehn. “Our goal is to increase the supply of technically capable young people
entering the general arena of engineering and applied science in STEM careers
through continued outreach and promotion of lightweighting-related career
opportunities.”
For more information on
the ASM-LIFT Materials Camp and other LIFT education and workforce development
initiatives, please visitwww.lift.technologyor contact LIFT Workforce & Education Director, Emily DeRocco,
