Latino Innovators & Inventors

A series of six posters and a brochure featuring Latino Innovators & Inventors were produced by MCC-Business & Technology campus for Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15). Large posters were framed for display at BTC. Other campuses and the Administrative Center posted smaller prints.

They're also being distributed to area high schools & middle schools, including some Project Lead the Way classrooms, to show the value of math & science preparation & careers and offer Latino role models. Monica Stevens designed the pieces, based on research by BTC's PR intern, Kodie Squires.

Teachers get training in engineering, biomedical science, energy and the environment

Hickman Mills middle school teachers Michelle McDaniel and Christine Derakhshanian team up to work on a heat transfer project called "Penguin Cooking."

Seventeen middle school teachers learned how to incorporate engineering and biomedical science into their curriculum through a two-day Project Lead the Way workshop at MCC-Business & Technology Campus Aug. 2-3. The training included an emphasis on energy and the environment, a new module in the Project Lead the Way curriculum.

Teachers from Blue Springs, Center, Grandview, Kansas City Missouri, Kansas City Kansas, Lee’s Summit, and Hickman Mills school districts, plus Corning, Iowa, and Tacoma, Wash., attended. The training was sponsored by MCC, the University of Central Missouri and Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), the Project Lead the Way affiliate for Missouri.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a national, non-profit organization that provides engineering and science instructional programs for use in elementary, middle, junior high and high school. The hands-on program is designed to introduce students to engineering and biomedical science, and encourage them to study those subjects in college.

Established in 1998 in 12 high schools in upstate New York, PLTW has grown to a network of approximately 4,000 middle and high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 350,000 students are enrolled in PLTW courses.

July 21 Technology Teacher Career Night

There's a shortage of high school engineering and technology teachers in the Kansas City area—especially Project Lead the Way teachers. MCC-Business & Technology and the University of Central Missouri are hosting a Career Exploration Night on July 21, from 6 - 7 p.m. at BTC.

Two UCM courses will be offered at BTC this fall. CTE 1000, Introduction to Career & Technical Education, is scheduled on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Penny Tepesch will be the instructor. CTE 1300, Introduction to Engineering Design, will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

The Engineering & Technology Teacher Education program is all about educating the next generation of engineers and technologists. Many courses in MCC’s education curriculum fit in the program plan. Graduates will be certified to teach middle and high school Project Lead the Way courses anywhere in the U.S. (with teacher state certification). It’s an ideal program for a recent high school graduate or a person with industry experience or some college credit. To watch a short video and request more information, see TeachTechKC.com. To register for July 21 or a second event planned for Aug. 12, go to mcckc.edu/visitbtc.