Thornton Tomasetti Foundation Provides Funds for Engineering Education in Middle Schools Those Amazing Engineers books will be used in 16 schools nationwide
Englewood Cliffs, N.J. – March 7, 2011 - The Thornton Tomasetti Foundation has donated $5,000 to launch Trilogy Publications’ national Adopt-a-School program. The program places copies of Those Amazing Engineers, free of charge, in schools requesting them for their 5th or 6th grade classes. A colorful 32-page book, Those Amazing Engineers introduces young people to engineering in an appealing and kid-friendly way.
The Thornton Tomasetti Foundation’s donation will support the Adopt-a-School program with 500 books in 16 schools in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Vermont. Teachers at these schools were some of the first to sign up for the Adopt-a-School program on Trilogy’s website (www.trilogypublications.com). To date, the program has received requests for more than 18,000 books from 240 schools across the country.
“It’s clear that the introduction of K-12 engineering education can increase awareness about what engineers do and of engineering as a career,” says Richard Tomasetti, Chairman of the Foundation, “We hope that our donation will encourage similar support from others in our industry. Our goal is to raise $100,000 to meet the current demand. In order to keep the U.S. technologically competitive in a global economy, this kind of investment in the future of our children is up to the private sector.”
Those Amazing Engineers has been endorsed by the National Science Teachers Association, the American Council of Engineering Companies, and engineering firms, universities and organizations. Since the first edition of Those Amazing Engineers in 2005, more than 75,000 copies have been purchased by organizations for their outreach programs. Feedback from teachers, principals and parents indicates that young people respond very positively to the book’s messages, gain a greater understanding of the value of engineering and the impact it has on their lives, and may even be inspired to choose engineering as a career. “Those Amazing Engineers is a valuable teaching tool and provided excellent resource material for students,” says Melanie Holder, a fifth grade teacher at P.S. 257 in Brooklyn, NY. “They kept sharing as they read with one another and could hardly wait for discussion time.”
Recipients of the Thornton Tomasetti Foundation grant:
Peoria Unified School District in Peoria, AZ (35 books)
Blake Academy in Lakeland, FL (25 books)
Tavares High School in Tavares, FL (50 books)
East Laurens Middle School in East Dublin, GA (30 books)
Grand Blanc Schools in Grand Blanc, MI (32 books)
Louisville High School in Louisville, MS (30 books)
Adirondack Middle School in Boonville, NY (30 books)
Copiague Middle School in Copiague, NY (25 books)
Washington Jr. High in Toledo, OH (100 books)
Cedar Crest Middle School in Lebanon, PA (2 books)
McKeesport Area School District in McKeesport, PA (25 books)
New Castle Jr. /Sr. High School in New Castle, PA (20 books)
Bearden Middle School in Knoxville, TN (25 books)
Elsik High School in Houston, TX (30 books)
Read Mountain Middle School in Cloverdale, VA (25 books)
Lamoille Union Middle School in Hyde Park, VT (15 books)
To find out how your organization can become a sponsor, contact Rose Reichman at 201-816-1211, or go to http://www.trilogypublications.com/adopt-a-school.html
About Trilogy Publications (www.trilogypublications.com)
Trilogy Publications LLC is a partnership of communicators whose mission is to encourage elementary and middle school students to seek rewarding career paths and introduce them to fields they might otherwise overlook. Through its Those Amazing…series, Trilogy aims to introduce children early on to careers that can benefit them as well as society, in the belief that the world will be a safer, greener, better place for all of us.
About The Thornton Tomasetti Foundation (www.ThorntonTomasettiFoundation.org)
The Thornton Tomasetti Foundation, a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization established in February 2008, has two primary missions including funding fellowships, scholarships and internships for undergraduate students, and those planning to pursue graduate studies in building engineering, design or technology and providing financial support for individuals and organizations pursuing philanthropic activities related to building engineering, design or technology. Key elements of the program are college scholarships, traveling internships, and grants to, and partnerships with nonprofit organizations.
Contact
Great Ink Communications - 212-741-2977
Eric Gerard, egerard@greatink.com
Marieka Baily, marieka@greatink.com
Thornton Tomasetti - 917-661-7800
James M. Kent, JKent@ThorntonTomasetti.com