Project Lead the Way gets $1.1 million boost

‌

A. Sue Weisler

Phil Mason, left, and Richard Sanchez build marble sorters during their Project Lead the Way classes. The program received a $1.1 million grant that paid for up to 290 middle and high school teachers to receive engineering-focused curriculum training this summer.

RIT has been awarded a $1.1 million grant in support of its Project Lead the Way program. The grant, which was awarded by the New York State Education Department through its “Engineers of the Future” program, will support engineering curriculum training for New York state middle and high school teachers. The grant will underwrite the costs for up to 290 teachers to spend two weeks at RIT this summer, learning the engineering-focused curriculum they will teach their students next year.

It will cover the registration fee, room and board and a stipend. The training consists of a 10-day program for teachers new to the curriculum and an advanced eight-day program for experienced Project Lead the Way teachers. George Zion, professor of computer engineering technology and the director of RIT’s Project Lead the Way program, helped secure the grant as the principal investigator.

Darlene Slack, director of marketing and school relations for Project Lead The Way, will direct the program. “The awarding of this grant recognizes the leadership role RIT plays in increasing the number and quality of engineering graduates entering technology-related industries,” says James Miller, senior vice president of RIT’s Division of Enrollment Management and Career Services. “Normally, school districts must pay the costs of training their Project Lead the Way teachers and for some, especially small and urban districts, these expenses can limit the growth of their program. This grant will ease that financial burden for the state’s school districts.”

Project Lead the Way started in New York state in 1997 to help address the increasing demand—and shortage—of engineering professionals in the United States. RIT is the program’s New York state national affiliate and was the first university to become a partner with Project Lead the Way. In the last decade, RIT has hosted approximately 2,000 teachers from across the nation for training. The program is now in 49 states and reaches more than 150,000 students a year.