Molly Kelly

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, August 21, 2009 Contact: Senator Molly Kelly
(603) 271-4153

SENATOR KELLY SUPPORTS ENGINEERING PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS

CONCORD – Senator Molly Kelly (D-Keene) joined Governor John Lynch, educators and industry executives today to launch a program that will give New Hampshire students the opportunity to learn and apply engineering skills to solve a “real world challenge.”

New Hampshire has agreed to participate in a national program called the Real World Design Challenge -- giving high school teachers and students access to $1 million in engineering software as they compete to design a two-engine commercial jet with enhanced fuel efficiency. Last year, an all-girls team from Hawaii became the first winner in the program, now starting its second year with a new design challenge. This is the first year New Hampshire has participated.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to enhance learning opportunities and inspire our students to pursue careers in math, science and engineering. Our nation is a nation of problem-solvers and I see this as a way to develop the skills and stimulate more interest among young people in addressing the challenges facing our nation,” Kelly said.

“It’s exciting because students will have the opportunity to apply skills and compete with each other for the best solutions,” she added

Senator Kelly is chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee and a member of the Advanced Manufacturing Education Advisory Council. She recently attended an education conference in San Francisco on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The state Department of Education will help enroll and support schools and teachers that choose to participate. Students and teachers involved in the program will have access to some of the same computer assisted design and modeling software used by professionals and access to mentors from industry, government and major universities around the country.

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