INDIANAPOLIS – Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Ind., is the newest affiliate partner for Project Lead The Way (PLTW). Rose-Hulman joins approximately 50 other colleges, universities, and research institutions providing support for PLTW and its network of nearly 5,200 schools in the United States. As an affiliate partner, Rose-Hulman will work with PLTW to support and grow K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs in Indiana.
Rose-Hulman becomes the third PLTW affiliate partner in Indiana, joining IUPUI and Purdue University. Dr. Christine Buckley, a 19-year Rose-Hulman faculty member and current associate professor of biology and biomedical engineering, will serve as Rose-Hulman’s PLTW Affiliate Director.
“Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is one of the nation’s premier engineering, science, and math universities,” said PLTW President and CEO Dr. Vince Bertram. “STEM education has never been more crucial for our country, and we are thrilled to have such a prestigious, highly regarded partner as Rose-Hulman to further our important work.”
As an Indiana—and national— higher education leader in engineering and technology, Rose-Hulman’s history is rich in innovative STEM education programs.
“Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has a long history of K-12 STEM involvement,” said James Goecker, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Rose-Hulman. “Partnering with PLTW is a very natural progression of that movement. Our hope is to add Rose-Hulman’s unique expertise in undergraduate engineering education to the already great PLTW curriculum.”
Rose-Hulman was one of the first colleges in the nation to provide a summer hands-on engineering program for high school students. Now in its 48th year, Operation Catapult reaches more than 300 students each year.
Teachers and students in Indiana often turn to Rose-Hulman as an important resource. Rose-Hulman’s Portal Resource for Indiana Science and Mathematics (PRISM), an online community for middle school and high school teachers, recently received its 300 millionth “hit.” In addition, the university’s “Homework Hotline,” now more than 20 years old, receives nearly 40,000 calls annually from students seeking assistance with K-12 mathematics and science homework. Through the hotline (1-877-ASK-ROSE), trained Rose-Hulman students lead callers through a process of learning and understanding to answer their questions.
Affiliate universities and partners are an integral part of the PLTW experience. They host PLTW professional development training programs, which are required for each course a PLTW teacher instructs. Affiliates also host annual conferences for school administrators and counselors, as well as provide ongoing support to PLTW schools.
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About PLTW Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is the nation’s leading provider of STEM programs. PLTW’s world-class, activity-, project-, and problem-based curriculum and high-quality teacher professional development model, combined with an engaged network of educators and corporate partners, help students develop the skills needed to succeed in our global economy. More than 5,200 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are currently offering PLTW courses to their students. For more information, visit www.pltw.org.
About Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Founded in 1874, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is dedicated to preparing its students with the world’s best undergraduate science, engineering, and mathematics education in an environment infused with innovation, intellectual rigor, and individualized attention. The college, located in Terre Haute, Indiana, has an enrollment of approximately 2,000 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students. For 15 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has rated Rose-Hulman as the top undergraduate engineering college in the nation whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s. Rose-Hulman has also been recognized by The Princeton Review, which cited six of the institute’s professors within their 2012 Best 300 Professors book, the only institution of higher learning in Indiana to be included. Learn more at www.rose-hulman.edu.