Lt. Governor Murray Announces "Design Challenge"

Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray during an event at the State House announced the 2009 “Real World Design Challenge,” an innovative partnership to enhance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in Massachusetts.  The goal is to train tomorrow’s engineers, especially in the aerospace industry. 

The “Challenge” partnership in its second year includes the Commonwealth, U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, Parametric Technology Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Business Educational Partnerships Group, Mentor Graphics, Education Development Center, MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts NASA Space Grant, and others.

During the first year of the Design Challenge in Massachusetts, seven high schools participated.  Of the seven schools, Newburyport High School took first place in the state and 2nd place in the national challenge competition.

The program provides Massachusetts teachers and students free access to some of the world’s most advanced mechanical engineering and design software as part of a national design competition.  Aviation industry engineers have defined a challenge currently being addressed in their industry, and teachers and students use the Challenge tools to search for innovative solutions.
 
Learn more at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Real World Design Challenge website.