Engineering program growing, needs support

For many years now, it has been well known that producing "home-grown" engineers is important for keeping projects from leaving the state and for attracting new projects to the state. Kids that grow up in Alaska and obtain Alaska engineering degrees tend to remain in Alaska -- avoiding expensive turnover for employers that results from hiring out-of-state. In addition, an engineer educated with an understanding of the arctic conditions of Alaska is invaluable to companies and government agencies operating in Alaska.

Student success in college is highly dependent on what happens before college. Better preparation in high school, middle, and even grade school, leads to better success in college. A new movement to attract students to engineering and enhance success is called the Alaska Secondary Engineering Academies Initiative -- and it is rapidly gaining momentum.

In November 2009, the initiative was created through a memorandum of understanding signed by a number of state department commissioners, University of Alaska chancellors and the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium. The memorandum set a timeline and pathway for establishing engineering academies in middle and high schools throughout all of Alaska, urban and rural.

What is an engineering academy? The ultimate academy is one with a group of teachers within a school, usually around four, that teach a curriculum with an engineering focus. For a high school, specific engineering courses are taught each year in grades 9 through 12. Math, science, English, and physics or other science courses are also included. The curriculum is an excellent one for qualifying students for scholarships, especially the Alaska Performance Scholarship.

One national model used successfully in Alaska is the Project Lead the Way program. As its name suggests, students learn and apply technical skills to design and construct projects.

The desired engineering academy is open to all students, attracts students to STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, engages students and enhances achievement, provides teacher training, contains courses with high quality standards and rigor, has a relatively low cost per student and can be implemented in both rural and urban areas.

Dimond High in Anchorage and Lathrop High in Fairbanks are two examples of engineering academies in Alaska that started just a few years ago. Rapid growth in these programs to more than 100 students was attributed to the best type of publicity -- students telling other students about what they were doing. Students learn technical design as well as communication skills that will serve them throughout their lives. The Mat-Su Technical and Career High School also has a Pre-Engineering program with a similar curriculum.

The pathway to engineering is built upon science, technology and math. Other STEM programs that may be less comprehensive than an engineering academy can play an important role. Programs such as Mathcounts, Alaska robotics, summer K-12 engineering and science camps, and other programs can be very effective in attracting students to STEM and integrate well with engineering academies.

An Alaska Engineering Academies Advisory Council is currently being formed. It will be the lead group for coordinating all efforts and for advocacy. Volunteers -- including teachers, principals, engineers and other professionals, and government representatives -- are needed from all parts of Alaska. The council may eventually have as many as 100 members or more in order to have good representation of the needs throughout Alaska.

It is time for action. Better pathways to professional careers are needed for our kids. The economic future of Alaska depends upon it. Your support through contacting your legislator or school official can help make it happen.

Grant Baker has been an engineering professor for 23 years with the University of Alaska, and for the past several years has worked with high schools to establish engineering academies in Alaska. Rob Lang has been an engineering professor for 10 years at UAA. Todd Bergman is executive director for APICC. He has 28 years of experience as an instructor in business management and as an education administrator. To learn more about the Alaska Engineering Academies effort, contact Cari-Ann Ketterling with APICC at cketterling@apicc.org or 907-770-5250. Letters and resolutions of support, and additional information are available through the APICC website at www.apicc.org.