West Virginia University has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to recruit, retain and place the next generation of engineers, scientists and computer scientists from Appalachia in college.

The Engineers of Tomorrow Programone of only 10 in the United Statesis a multidisciplinary initiative within WVU s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and College of Human Resources and Education, in partnership with the EdVenture Group, a nonprofit educational outreach organization.

The initiative is designed to focus on the need to increase the number of high school students entering the math, science and technology fields, particularly women and minorities,said Dean of Engineering and Mineral Resources Gene Cilento in a ceremony today (Dec. 1) in the Mountainlair.

There is a high demand for graduates of these fields, Dr. Cilento noted, but not enough students are enrolling in them upon entering college to fill the jobs of the future.

National statistics indicate that only 21 percent of engineerings total college enrollment are women, and only 5 percent are African American. Those statistics are even lower in West Virginia, where many students are first-generation college students.

Cilento said WVU wants to change that dynamic by making West Virginia students more aware of career opportunities in these fields and by giving high school teachers the tools they need to increase student achievement.

Engineers of Tomorrow, said Lydotta Taylor, president of the EdVenture Group, offersTools for Integrating Math and Engineering,or TIME kits, comprised of problem-based engineering lessons specifically for math and science teachers.

Taylors group will train 125 teachers around the state each year to use these tools, with the potential impact of reaching some 12,500 state high school students.

The program will also offer a Summer Experience Programintensive instruction for 80-100 minority and female high school students in the state.

Gary Winn, professor of industrial and management systems engineering, will oversee the program.

Students, in groups of 20, will spend a week on campus being exposed to WVU s top-notch engineering programs, Winn said. They will also be schooled in math, science and technology skills; ACT /SAT preparation; and study skills necessary to survive on a large college campus.

And, the program doesnt end when the students leave.

Current WVU engineering majors like Tirzah Mills, a WVU junior and president of the WVU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, will serve as mentors and role models, keeping in touch with their young counterparts through school visits and e-mail.

Studies show that the single greatest influence on a students decision to enter the sciences is encouragement from a mentorusually thats a parent or a teacher,Mills said.Through this program, we hope to show that college students can be encouraging, too.

WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. said WVU is excited about the program and the potential it offers the states young people.

High-tech jobs will be the foundation of our states economy in the coming years, and we must have people with the knowledge and skills to fill them,Hardesty said.WVU is proud to take a leadership role in this nationwide effort to promote science, technology, energy and math education.

The program started as a pilot project with funding from the Benedum Foundation, American Electric Power, Peabody Energy and PPG Industries, among others.

This initial support helped us jump-start the program were introducing today,Cilento said.

Future plans under the grant include developing online freshman introductory engineering classes for high school students.

The WVU Institute of Technology in Montgomery is also participating in the initiative.

High school teachers and students interested in learning more about the program may call Winn at 293-4821 ext. 3744 or gary.winn@mail.wvu.edu .

The College of Engineering and Mineral Resources is one of WVU s largest academic units, with nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in its seven departments: chemical engineering; civil and environmental engineering; computer science and electrical engineering; industrial and management systems engineering; mining engineering; mechanical and aerospace engineering; and petroleum and natural gas engineering.