Sheldon H. Berman joined today (2-17-09) with students and staff at Wheeler Elementary School to announce the addition of Qk4 Architecture Engineering Planning as a partner in the Engineering is Elementary (EIE) program. Funds from Qk4 over the next five years will sponsor an EIE classroom at Wheeler Elementary School and expand the program to serve more students both during and after the school day. Participating students have opportunities to work with professional engineers and top experts in the field.
Currently, EIE is available at five elementary schools. Based on a model developed at the Boston Museum of Science, EIE integrates engineering and technology concepts with elementary science topics. By working on interesting and fun engineering design challenges, students are applying their knowledge and using problem solving skills as they design, create and improve on possible solutions.
Qk4’s involvement is spurred by concerns that American students are falling behind other countries in math and science. According to Qk4 President David E. Smith, “The partnership is pertinent to our organization because of our need to hire the best and brightest architects, engineers, and planners. Getting young children interested in math and science has the promise of building a future pool of educated and qualified technical professionals.”