Career and Technology Education
Ken Smith, Supervisor of
Career and Technology Education
301 475-5511, x123
Engineering Challenges:
As part of the effort to blend academic and technical programs so that students more easily realize the applications for much of their theoretical learning, the departments of Mathematics, Science and Career and Technology Education have established a Consortium in Southern Maryland. St. Mary’s County has led this effort since 1992. The ‘Consortium for Mathematics, Science and Technology’ is a group of educators and business partners that have collaborated to establish a series of ‘Engineering Challenges’ that promote the application of math and science to real-world engineering problems. The application process is the use of technical skills and knowledge to create workable solutions to the unique problems. In essence, to engineer practical and effective solutions just like real scientists and engineers do each day in the workplace.
The key component of this organization has been the participation of local businesses who provide funding and other resources to plan, implement and assess each engineering challenge. Without their support, these would not be able to happen as effectively. The following events are planned for this year:
Tech-Ed Engineering Challenges:
Maryland State Engineering Challenges
These competitions include an intensive effort to create technology that works and document the entire experience through the development of a comprehensive Engineering Portfolio, which is reviewed and evaluated for accuracy. Each of these events generate lots of excitement and significant new knowledge and skills.