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Schools

New Trier Looks to Nurture Tomorrow's Engineers

New Trier Township High School announces engineering program.

New Trier students can look forward to getting their hands on the latest in engineering technology next school year.

NTHS has adopted the "Pathway To Engineering Program" to provide an opportunity for students to pique their appetites for engineering science in a practical, experiential way. The program was developed in 1997 by Project Lead the Way, a New York-based group interested in the education of America's youth. Its vision: "For America to remain economically competitive, our next generation of leaders must develop the critical-reasoning and problem-solving skills that will help make them the most productive in the world."

"The curriculum is real exciting," said Chip Finck, an instructor who will teach the introductory class. "It's where facts and figures are turned into ingenuity and inventiveness."

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The partnership has been a long time in the making, according to Chair of New Trier's Department of Practical Arts Jason Boumstein. For the past three years, Boumstein has been researching the program for New Trier.

"There's research that shows a lot of students think they can go into engineering, but once they get into college they've never done the hands-on part, so it's intimidating, and they find out it's not right for them."

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Boumstein aims to provide New Trier students with more than just theory; he wants them to see engineering in action by taking advantage of resources such as the school's new 3D printer that allows them to come up with a concept and see it created in physical form. 

"We have a lot of students interested in biomedical and engineering, but they've never applied it," Boumstein said. "They've [only] learned the theory."

Other teachers echoed Boumstein's analysis.

"What our students do not know is what type of engineering majors and fields there are, or how to apply all the science and math concepts they've learned to an actual hands-on experience," said Nathan Silvers, an instructor for the program. 

Next semester, the school will implement two courses: Introduction to Engineering Design and Principles of Engineering.

Specialized courses in biomedical, aerospace and electrical engineering will follow over the next few years.

 "These are rigorous courses, where students are going to take an exam at the end for college credit," Boumstein said.

 And the response from students, many of whom have heard about the program from friends or relatives involved in other parts of the state, has been enthusiastic.

"I just had a student walk into my office, and she was saying that she wants to know more," Boumstein said. "She's interested in biomedical science or engineering. She heard about Project Lead the Way from a cousin who's in the program in one of the city high schools."

As current eighth-graders are mulling over which classes to take next year, their parents have been asking questions.

"I've gotten a lot of calls from parents about classes their children are interested in," said Jennifer McDonough, the department coordinator for business education and practical arts. "It's obviously generating some really good buzz in the community."

McDonough said the school has already received a $10,000 grant from the Kern Foundation, the backer of Project Lead the Way. Up to $35,000 will be awarded over the next few years if the school meets the program's equirements.

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