The
Future is N.E.A.R. program
offers its students an
opportunity to gain
21st century skills that will
help prepare them to become
successful leaders in the new,
technological global society.
The program
introduces the
fundamentals of
nanotechnology,
engineering
research, and higher
level thinking and
application of
knowledge to high
school students
while cultivating
their interest in
engineering, problem
solving and
life-long learning.
The Future Is
N.E.A.R. is a custom
program offered as a
part of the senior
capstone course of
Engineering Academy
at North Penn High
School.
Click here to visit
the North Penn High
School Engineering
Academy
|
The main
goals of The
Future is
N.E.A.R.
project are
to:
|
| |
1.) |
Inform and
educate
students
about
nanotechnology,
submicron
measurement
and
the present
and future
applications
of
nanotechnology. |
| |
2.) |
Introduce
engineering research as
a method of
increasing
intrinsic
motivation,
self
directed
learning and
the
acceptance
of failure
as a
positive
"side
effect" of
research. |
| |
3.) |
Identify
nanotechnology
and its
related
mathematical
and
scientific
components
as a
necessary
program for
cultivating
student
learning and
preparing
them to be
competitive,
productive
members of a
21st century
global
society. |
| |
4.) |
Improve
science,
technology,
engineering
and
mathematical
(STEM)
knowledge
and skills
utilizing a
collaborative,
real-world
research
environment. |
| |
5.) |
Incorporate
"Quadrant D"
learning and
assessment as
identified
by the
International
Center for
Leadership
in Education
and High
Yield
Strategies
as
identified
by Robert
Marzano. |
How did it Begin:
The program began
from participation
in a
National Science
Foundation
program offered
through
Drexel University.
The program, named
Research Experience
for Teachers (RET)
is designed to
introduce teachers
to engineering
research and then
have those teachers
return to the
classroom to
incorporate those
experiences into
their lessons.
Please click here
for more information
about the Drexel
University RET
programs.
Justifying a
Need:
Why Engineering
Research in High
School?
Global
competition, the rapid advance
of new and emerging
technologies, and a shrinking
national workforce make it
imperative that our students are
prepared now more than ever to
succeed in today's world.
One of the latest
emerging
technologies is
Nanotechnology.
Most of the
research in this
field is currently
being performed at
the university and
corporate levels.
Organized approaches
to true research can
be such an
educational tool.
It is often a real
eye-opener for one
who has never
endeavored into the
unknown. It is an
arena where failure
is an option...and
often encouraged.
Failure can be such
an awesome tool. In
the right context
and environment,
with the right
support and
guidance, failure
creates character
and desire. It is
not the failure that
matters, it is what
was learned, applied
and adapted from
that failure that
does.
How often can an
inventor or engineer
state that their
product was
designed, prototyped
and manufactured
correctly on the
first try without
revision? Or state
that their outcome
was directly in line
with their
predictions from the
beginning?
Much of the
educational world
today takes students
through an activity
where the outcome is
known, expected, and
prepared. While
there is merit to
the approach, it is
not enough to spark
a true understanding
of genuine problem
solving. There
becomes
opportunities to
skip steps to get to
the end or to cheat
to get an answer.
Students find these
methods rather
easily and thus the
activity has lost
much of its student
creativity and
exploration.
In the research
world, there is no
room for cheating,
for skipping steps,
or saying, "I've
seen this before and
I know the answer."
The students are
left to create,
solve, and try
again. Their
original goals are
often abandoned for
new ones as their
research leads them
from their original
path and leads them to something
deeper and closer
to the results they
are seeking!
Please check back
often for more
information.
