As the nation's eleventh largest school district, Dallas Independent School District serves more than 160,000 students who come from homes where 58 different languages are spoken. Operating with a $1 billion dollar budget, DISD employs 18,613 employees including 10,000 teachers in 220 schools.
6 Feb 2001
DISD Schoolchildren to Design the Computer of the Future at Engineering Fair
More than 500 seventh and eighth graders from the DISD will converge on the campus of Southern Methodist University to look to the future as they attempt to design the computer for 2010. The middle school children will be joined by local engineers and high school students at the Engineering Fair 2001 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17.
Held in the SMU Hughes-Trigg Student Center, the engineering fair is designed to spark student awareness about science, math and technology, said William Tate, assistant superintendent–Math, Science and Urban Systemic Program.
"Our hope is to excite and motivate the next generation of scientists and engineers," he said. "We want students to understand that there are many technology-related opportunities that exist. These opportunities require that they make good decisions about course work and work ethic."
Before breaking up into groups to design the computer of the future, the students will get the opportunity to visit more than 10 displays and exhibits sponsored by local high-tech companies, showcasing the future world of technology.
The theme of the engineering fair is Designing the Future. In conjunction with the theme, the seventh and eighth graders will be paired with about 100 DISD high school students who are presently enrolled in a pre-engineering course being piloted at seven DISD campuses. The Infinity Project course is sponsored by the SMU School of Engineering and Texas Instruments. The goal of the national project is to introduce high school students to modern high-tech engineering.
Local engineers will act in concert with the students to make sure the design projects are realistic. One of those engineers who will be attending the fair is Chenay Goines, a 1995 graduate of South Oak Cliff High. Presently a hardware engineer for Marconi Communications, Goines said if she had been exposed to such a program when she was in high school, it would have made her conscious of the infinite jobs that awaited her after college.
"The engineering fair is an opportunity to enlighten our youth and provides an introduction to the vast world of engineering, technology and fun," said Goines who has an electrical engineering degree from Texas A&M University.
While the students are designing the computer of the future, teachers, counselors and parents will attend a session on Preparing Children for Careers in Engineering and Technology.
The engineering fair is sponsored by the DISD, SMU School of Engineering, Texas Instruments, Accenture and the Infinity Project. The event is sponsored in conjunction with the 50th Annual Celebration of National Engineers Week in February.
For news and information about the Dallas Independent School District, visit www.dallasisd.org