INDIANAPOLIS (November 29, 2012) – Project Lead The Way (PLTW) announced today that Duke University is its newest Biomedical Sciences Affiliate University. As the Biomedical Sciences Affiliate University, Duke will assist in the training of PLTW Biomedical Sciences teachers and work with North Carolina’s PLTW network to support and grow PLTW Biomedical Sciences programs in North Carolina.
“As one of America’s preeminent universities, we are proud to have Duke as a PLTW affiliate and excited about their expanded outreach into PLTW’s biomedical sciences programs,” said PLTW President and CEO Dr. Vince Bertram.
Affiliate Universities are an integral part of the PLTW experience. They host annual Core Training Institutes, which are PLTW’s two-week summer professional development training sessions. Each PLTW teacher is required to complete Core Training for each course that he or she teaches. Duke University has served as an Engineering Affiliate University since 2004, offering Core Training Institutes for both the Gateway To Technology middle school program and the Pathway To Engineering high school program.
Duke University’s commitment to education has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report’s latest college rankings. The university ranked eighth among national universities for overall excellence, third in Biomedical Engineering, eighth for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and ninth for best value.
"It is particularly appropriate that Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering is now the affiliate university in North Carolina for PLTW's Biomedical Sciences Program, because Biomedical Engineering began here as a discipline," said Nancy Shaw, PLTW university affiliate director at Duke University. "The Duke Biomedical Engineering Department is world famous for its strength and for the numerous contributions it has made to STEM areas. Duke's approach to engineering is truly interdisciplinary, and our engineering faculty and students do their research alongside scientists and physicians in laboratories and centers which integrate all STEM disciplines."
PLTW congratulates Duke University on its U.S. News and World Report honors and looks forward to further partnering for excellence in STEM education.