Successful funded projects

SPIRIT (Surprising Possibilities Imagined and Realized through Information Technology): The SPIRIT project celebrates the immense impact that information technology has on our world and seeks to rekindle enthusiasm for the field as a career choice among high school students, especially young women. Launching in summer 2008, SPIRIT programs involve professional development opportunities for high school teachers and counselors and a summer camp program for high school students who have been endorsed by their high school teachers.

Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program: The Department of Industrial Technology, with its emphasis in technology education, is one of several University entities participating in the program. Administered by the Discovery Learning Center at Discovery Park, the program is a unique opportunity for graduate students in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to undertake a one-year fellowship funded by the National Science Foundation and Purdue University. Fellows serve as "visiting scientists" in a program designed to instill the excitement of learning science into middle school classrooms. Teamed with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science and math teachers, fellows develop lesson plans and teach interdisciplinary-focused experiments geared toward science in everyday life.

Chemistry game: Critical Mass is a first-person 3D game that combines puzzle-solving and FPS action into an entertaining and educating experience. The aim of Critical Mass is to create an educational video game that combines the gameplay elements of popular action games. This interdisciplinary project was developed by Professors Carlos Morales and Gabriella Weaver with funding from the National Science Foundation.