One of the most pressing issues facing technical based industries today is the decline of students interested in science, math, and technology programs at the middle school through college levels. This is threatening the ability of companies and countries to effectively meet future workforce demands, resulting in repercussions that may be felt by generations to come.

To address this critical issue head on, Honeywell has partnered with SAE International's A World In Motion program and D.A.V. Public School Aundh to launch the Honeywell/SAE Student Automotive Design Challenge. This unique pilot program is designed to engage students, ages 11-14, from six countries in hands-on math and science training to enable students to actively discover how these subjects relate to their everyday lives, while uncovering potential career opportunities.  

The SADC uses the AWIM curriculum, which recently won the National Science Foundation's prestigious 2008 Public Service Award and is a multi-disciplinary curriculum that integrates science, math, technology, social studies and language arts, providing students with an assignment from a mock corporation to research, design, test and build electric gear-driven toy cars.

Students will work in design teams of four to build a vehicle and will be involved in writing proposals, drawing sketches and working with models to develop a plan that meets a specific set of design requirements based on market research.  Students will also share their results with their international peers via an online forum, designed to directly connect students at a global level.   

A 2006 report from the National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators, found that the inability to engage students, even those as young as elementary school, in these core subjects has resulted in an emerging crisis for the technical, scientific and engineering disciplines.

Shalini /ITvoir network