STEM Presentations

Raytheon

Raytheon is conducting modeling to work with educators on preparing students for a career in STEM fields.

Alex Sanchez is a Senior Principal Systems Engineer on the Mission Innovation Cross Business Team (MI CBT) for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). IDS Mission Innovation is a cross-business team that brings early concept development, mission optimization and adjacent market entry through modeling and simulation, operations analysis, experimentation and mission solutions.

Contact E-Mail: Alex_Sanchez@raytheon.com

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Staying Power: The Future of Manufacturing in Massachusetts

This report suggests a perspective on the MA manufacturing sector that is very different from the conventional wisdom. While old economy manufacturing has declined precipitously over the last two decades, new economy industries will take their place as contributors to the state’s gross product and as a source of employment and household income.

After losing much of its low productivity, cost-sensitive industry, what is left is highly sophisticated, highly productive, and likely to remain a strong contributor to both state product and employment. The sector has strong ties to the customer base and is linked integrally into powerful supply chains.

Manufacturing today is responsible for a higher share of state output than a decade ago.

Barry Bluestone is the Russell B. and Andrèe B. Stearns Trustee Professor of Political Economy, the founding director of the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy (CURP), and the Dean of the School of Social Science, Urban Affairs, and Public Policy at Northeastern University. The Center is devoted to research and community action projects in housing, workforce development, local economic development, transportation, and the implementation of state-of-the-art information technology for schools, community groups, and small business. The new public policy school has been designed to more closely link Northeastern with the broader community of Greater Boston and the Commonwealth, focusing on many of the critical challenges facing the city and the region.

Contact E-Mail: BBluestone@aol.com

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Educating A 21st Century Workforce

The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) has issued an urgent call to action for bold change in the way Massachusetts high schools prepare students for life and work in today’s rapidly changing global society and business environment. The report, Educating a 21st Century Workforce, identified three critical challenges that must be addressed if Massachusetts is to have the citizens and workforce the state needs for a thriving economy in the future: 1) increase awareness of 21st century challenges; 2) prepare ALL students for college, career and citizenship; and 3) close the persistent achievement gap.

Linda M. Noonan is Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), an organization committed to a high quality public education system that will prepare all students to engage successfully in a global economy and society. MBAE brings leaders from business and education together to promote educational policies and practices and directs the State Scholars Initiative in Massachusetts.

Contact E-Mail: lnoonan@mbae.org

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STEM Central

STEM Central is a strategic communication plan designed to increase awareness of STEM careers and the corresponding career pathways to the 21st Century STEM workforce. It targets middle school students (especially girls, under-represented minorities, first-generation college and low-income students) and their spheres of influence including parents, teachers, and guidance counselors. A critically important component of reaching minority and low-income families will be achieved through a grassroots effort similar to a successful health awareness campaign. Parent-friendly STEM career information will be delivered to parents wherever they are—at work, at home, or in the community.

Sandra Mayrand, founder and director of the Regional Science Resource Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, has a BA in microbiology and an MBA in business development. She has twenty years experience as a biomedical researcher in cell and molecular biology with special emphasis on gene expression. She is actively involved with the advancement of science education in Massachusetts. She is currently the director of the Central MA STEM Pipeline Network and chair of the Massachusetts State Middle School Science and Engineering Fair.

Contact E-Mail: Sandra.Mayrand@umassmed.edu

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Worcester Public Schools

As early as 1995, the Worcester Public Schools began its development of STEM-based education programs, due largely to the integration of engineering education into the Massachusetts Science Framework and the development of our Career Pathways Education model. That year, high school students were required to select an integrated academic/career pathway.

Today, 365 students are enrolled in the Engineering Academy at Doherty High School -- 45% are young women and 40% diverse. Students focus on the integration of higher level mathematics and science in challenging prototyping projects in the areas of manufacturing, civil, electrical engineering and communications capped off with an extensive internship program in Grade 12. The Academy graduated its largest class of 68 students in May of 2008.

Dennis Ferrante is District Director for the Worcester Public Schools, the second largest school system in New England. He provides direction for and coordination of adult, continuing, secondary, academic, career and vocational-technical education, workforce and career development for the WPS management team. In his thirty-first year, his accomplishments include developing the nationally recognized educational system, “Pathways to Success” which set the foundation for the development of Carnegie Small Learning Communities. Worcester aggressively embraces the tenets of education reform providing students with connections to the technical and academic requirements of the workplace so they can make intelligent decisions regarding post secondary education and employment. Over 3,700 high school students take pathway and vocational-technical courses preparing them for college or employment.

Contact E-Mail: Ferrante@worc.k12.ma.us

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Technician Education Collaborative (Mass-TEC)

The Massachusetts Technician Education Collaborative (Mass-TEC), led by Quinsigamond Community College with generous funding from the National Science Foundation, is meeting this challenge head on through a robust outreach and public communication campaign aimed at changing this perception. Mass-TEC is taking a leadership role with parents, teachers, and career counselors in updating the industry image and promoting related career opportunities. It emphasizes such fields of study as industrial robotics and automation, advanced manufacturing, electronics, computer and information technology and engineering technology, and also promotes the educational opportunities in those disciplines offered by area colleges.

Kathy Rentsch currently serves as Dean for Business & Technology at Quinsigamond Community College (QCC), where she provides academic and administrative leadership in establishing collaborative partnerships with industry, educational constituents and community agencies and developing grants and other funding proposals to enhance programming. Ms. Rentsch is experienced in building effective community and industry partnerships aimed at addressing economic or workforce challenges. She recently spearheaded a collaborative effort to submit a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education (ATE) proposal which resulted in the award of a three-year, $750,000 grant to design, launch and evaluate a public communication campaign on advanced manufacturing career opportunities.

Contact E-Mail: kathyr@qcc.mass.edu

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Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Lean ideas have transformed process design and significantly improved lead times, quality and cost for many manufacturing companies. Because of this success, diverse organizations are applying these ideas to more complex processes, involving their supply chain partners, services, and product development processes. Undergraduate students in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, and operations management, who are often hired into positions that support or lead lean transformation efforts, need to graduate with the ability to design lean processes grounded in data-based analysis. While lean principles are simply stated, the design process is complicated because every process has unique constraints and competitive drivers. Students need to be able to apply the variety of tactics used to achieve the principles as well as understand when these tactics are likely to be effective.

Sharon A. Johnson is Director of the Industrial Engineering Program and an Associate Professor of Operations and Industrial Engineering in the Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She teaches courses in process and operations management, and facility layout and design. Dr. Johnson’s research Interests include lean process design and modeling, health care delivery processes, enterprise systems, and curriculum development and student learning. Currently, she is working on a project funded by the National Science Foundation to explore hands-on approaches for teaching lean process design.

Contact E-Mail: Sharon@wpi.edu

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Mass. Regional Employment Board

Over the years, Massachusetts has seen its manufacturing sector decline in numbers. During this same period, however, MA manufacturing entities have shown the greatest increase in value-added dollars. This value increase confirms that many current manufacturing workers are highly motivated and skilled, and willing to enhance their skills to hold their jobs.

Jeff Turgeon, Executive Director of the Central Mass. Regional Employment Board. At the Central Mass. Regional Employment Board Jeff is responsible for creating a coherent and integrated workforce development system to effectively serve the employment education and training needs of employers and the workforce within the 38 communities in its workforce development area. Jeff joined the Central Mass. Regional Employment Board in February 2008, prior to that he was the program manager, United States Department of Labor, Regional One Office of Jobs Corps.

Contact E-Mail: TurgeonJ@ci.worcester.ma.us

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Worcester Technical High School

Worcester Technical High School is organized into five small learning communities that integrate academic and technical instruction. The design of the new high school provides a state-of-the-art facility and an architectural footprint that reflects and supports the conversion to small learning communities.

Students of all abilities graduate from Worcester Technical High School, having been challenged to reach world-class academic and technical standards. This is assured through academic instruction aligned with the MA Common Core of Learning and Curriculum.

Peter Crafts, Director of Vocational/Technical Education for Worcester Public Schools one of the 2007 Thomas Green awards recipients. WTHS goals are working with International and National corporations and higher education to educate technical students for the career paths in Manufacturing, Life Sciences, Engineering, Technology and Business Services. Some of Peter’s many responsibilities are managing 24 Technical/Vocational Programs at WTHS; ensuring that each technical program meets the state frameworks and prepares students to be successful in MCAS and the Certificate of Occupational Proficiency exams; and preparing and supervising school year and summer faculty workshops.

Contact E-Mail: craftspc@worc.k12.ma.us

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