New STEM lab brings math and engineering students together with technology and career opportunities
June 14, 2017
GREENVILLE, SC – The new STEM lab at Greenville Technical College connects higher-level math students to the Engineering Technologies area by exposing them to engineering-related programs and job opportunities. This is done with the benefit of the latest classroom technologies.
The 28-station computer lab includes many cutting-edge technologies that are designed to streamline the classroom experience. These technologies are focused on simplifying routine classroom activities and providing a rich visual teaching environment, allowing all participants to focus on the subject matter while effectively interacting with others. Microsoft Studio Surface, Minitab, MATLAB, and Revit are some of the teaching tools and curriculum software that are available in the lab.
Greenville Technical College’s Engineering Technology programs, particularly Architectural Engineering Technology and Engineering Design Technology offerings, have seen strong growth in female enrollment over the past several years. The STEM lab, drawing math students to the Engineering Technologies building, will encourage that trend, exposing many students to opportunities they might not have known about previously. Engineering job openings are posted in the STEM lab, and the students utilizing the STEM lab can peruse them.
Funding for the new technology was provided by a Perkins grant. First authorized in 1984 and reauthorized in 1998, the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act provides funding to high schools and technical colleges to improve the quality of career and technical education across all 50 states and U.S. territories. The current legislation, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act, was passed almost unanimously by Congress in 2006. Funds are used to develop curriculum, provide faculty professional development, purchase lab equipment, and support other activities that help students complete a technical education program that leads to in-demand careers.
