Recent News
What does the "E" in STEM really stand for?
It is exciting to see that engineering has become a recognized discipline in K-12 education. For years, very little was said about engineering in K-12 schools. Engineering was rarely mentioned in the K-12 curriculum until about eight or nine years ago. Yet, as times have changed and the demand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum to be integrated into K-12 has become more relevant, the demand for engineering has increased.
New Deal Makes Newsweek's Best High School List
Congratulations on another national level award and recognition for the students and staff at New Deal High School. Newsweek included New Deal High School on its 2013 list of the best high schools in the nation. They listed 2000 schools on this list and 165 of them are from Texas. New Deal ranked 1871/2000 in the nation and 149/165 of the Texas schools included on the list.
Presidio Schools Impress GEAR Judges
On April 19, Presidio students attended the Get Excited about Robotics (GEAR) Regional Competition at Texas Tech University. GEAR is a 6-8 week LEGO robotics challenge for elementary and middle school students during which students build and program LEGO robots to perform specific tasks.
New Deal Engineers a New Kind of Fair
Students set up science fair-style tri-fold boards and searched for extension cords, tinkered with Lego robots and plugged in circuit boards, preparing for the New Deal Independent School District's first Engineering Fair. "This is the culmination of everything they've been doing through the year," said teacher Rocky Upchurch of the fair on Thursday, April 11. "They are being judged on presentation and knowledge of their topic."
Fontenot Receives TLTC Faculty Spotlight Award
Dr. A. Dean Fontenot, senior director of the Texas Tech T-STEM Center, has been named a recipient of a Texas Tech Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center (TLTC) 2013 Faculty Spotlight Award. The award recognizes faculty members who have been involved with the center and used services, programs, workshops, software and more to creatively enhance their classes. This annual award features faculty members nominated by the TLPDC staff and recognizes individuals for their "above and beyond" efforts to connect with and engage students, and for their service to the TLPDC. Fontenot's award is in recognition of her efforts with the Professional Communications for Engineers course that she teaches.
New Deal’s STEM Academy About More Than Science
A three-dimensional block shape glows blue on Taylor McWilliams’ laptop computer in an Introduction to Engineering Design class at New Deal High School.
Kelton ISD Students Get More Hands On Learning
Kelton Independent School District may be small, but they're making big strides in education. In fact, they're the only T-STEM campus in Region 16. T-STEM stands for Texas Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. It's a program giving students hands on learning, instead of using textbooks. From building robots, ecosystems, and rockets, students say they're already seeing a difference in how much they can remember and recall.
Texas Tech Students Recognized for Contributions to Future of Space Exploration
NASA representatives will honor Texas Tech Whitacre College of Engineering students with a nomination for the 2012 Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Stellar Award at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Engineering Center, Suite 100.
Texas Tech Team Honored for Contribution to Orion Spacecraft
“The students and their advisors at Texas Tech University have played an important role in the development of Orion through their participation in the SSANS project,” said Cleon Lacefield, Lockheed Martin Vice President and Orion Project Manager. “They have worked effectively with NASA and Lockheed Martin, and we were proud to nominate the SSANS Team members for a Stellar Award as part of the Rotary National Awards for Space Achievement program.”