DEARBORN, MI - Quality equipment is essential to a quality education. 3M’s in-kind gift of 250 Super Close Projection Systems 700 Series, valued at about $720,000, which includes projectors, speakers and wall-mounts, has been donated to the SME Education Foundation. The equipment will be distributed to the network of middle and high schools across the country offering Project Lead the Way® (PLTW) curriculum.

 

“Our gift reflects 3M’s mission to invest in teachers, giving them opportunities to introduce new ways of learning into the classroom to make math and science relevant and engaging for students, and Project Lead The Way curriculum does that,” said Barbara Kaufmann, Manager, Education Giving, and Director, 3M Foundation. “We’re pleased to provide equipment that will complement the skills of instructors and enhance the learning experience of students.” Kaufmann is responsible for the strategy and implementation of 3M’s support to education targeting math, science and economics/business education from elementary through graduate school.

 

In an effort to recruit students into the PLTW engineering coursework, the SME Education Foundation offers the Gateway Academy, a summer camp that allows students to work together in a fun and exciting environment. In this hands-on, project-based environment, students brainstorm ideas, solve problems and learn the basics of engineering concepts involving alternative energy, eco-design, robotics, manufacturing and aerodynamics.