SME Tops $5 Million in Visionary Plan to Build a Skilled Workforce

    DEARBORN, Mich., July 18 The Society of Manufacturing
Engineers (SME) is hitting its stride in announcing $1.3 million in total
grants, scholarships and special awards.  Now in the fourth year of its
visionary plan, SME funding has topped $5 million.
    SME's aggressive funding includes nearly $1 million to five colleges and
universities, increased scholarship funding of $235,000 -- more than any other
professional engineering society, faculty development awards, and more than
$90,000 in special awards to 11 colleges and universities.

    COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
    Funding to five colleges and universities will support program and
curricula development ranging from lean manufacturing to virtual/automated
manufacturing courses.
    These include:

    *  California Polytechnic State University -- San Luis Obispo, Calif. --
$294,000 to revise and update its manufacturing curriculum.  Industry partners
include Raytheon, Flextronics International and Solectron.
    *  Nicholls State University -- Thibodaux, La., -- $99,000 to create a new
baccalaureate degree in Manufacturing Technology.  Industry partners include
Bollinger Shipyards, Gulf Island Fabrication and Weatherford Drilling and
Service.
    *  Oregon State University - Corvallis, Ore., -? $185,000 for the
development of new laboratory facilities and the integration of teams of
manufacturing and engineering students.  Industry partners include IBM, Xerox
and Hand Held Products.
    *  University of Missouri-Rolla -- Rolla, Mo., -? $182,000 for the
development of integrated and collaborative manufacturing programs at UMR and
St. Louis Community College -- a program that provides students with dual
options: to either enter the job market as manufacturing technicians or
continue their education at UMR in manufacturing engineering.  Industry
partners include General Motors, the Olin Corporation, Boeing, Briggs &
Stratton, and Caterpillar.
    *  University of Texas at El Paso -- El Paso, Texas -? $191,000 to help
create three new options in manufacturing -- Mechanical, Industrial, and
Metallurgical/Materials Engineering to be available by fall 2002.  Industry
partners include Delphi Automotive Systems, Raytheon and Summit Plastic
Molding, Inc.

    SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING EXPANDED
    In 2001, the Foundation will award $295,000, more than doubling its
funding since 1998.  The Foundation's Family Scholarship, awarded $90,000 in
2001.  Douglas Sperling of El Cajon, Calif. was awarded $60,000 and two
runners-up, Christopher Agrawal of St. Louis, Mo. and Melissa Hindman of
Brentwood, Tenn., were each awarded $15,000.  The Director's Scholarship of
$5,000 was awarded to Wendy Walker of Chippewa Falls, Wis.

    SPECIAL AWARDS SUPPORT FACULTY
    Cash awards of $2,500 each through the Foundation's Special Award Programs
were presented to Professor Wallace J. Hopp, Northwestern University, Chicago,
Ill., who will receive the Foundation's Sargent Americanism Award, which
recognizes innovate college coursework in business skills related to
manufacturing and Dr. Paul Kenneth Wright, University of California, who will
receive the M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Textbook Award for "21st Century
Manufacturing," published by Prentice-Hall.  Grants from the Foundation's
other award programs -- Initiation Grants and Library Awards -? will provide
over $90,000 in funding to 11 colleges and universities.

    COLLEGES RECEIVE INITIATION GRANTS
    Research Initiation grants provide seed money for the development and
definition of research projects in manufacturing and innovative subject areas.
Recipients, some of whom received more than one award, include Kansas State
University, Manhattan, $14,907; University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, $14,994;
California Polytechnic State University, $14,815; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, $14,982; and Western Michigan University, $15,000.

    LIBRARY AWARD HELPS SCHOOLS
    Grants through SME's Library Award program are intended to help schools
supplement manufacturing libraries with SME books, videos, CDs, articles and
other material.  This year's recipients include Central Connecticut State
University, $2,499; University of Southern Mississippi, $2,487; New Mexico
State University, $903; Western New England College, $2,500; Western Michigan
University, $2,500; Gannon University $2,431; and Central State University,
$2,500.

    For further information on the SME Education Foundation grant funding
program, please contact the SME Education Foundation at 313-271-1500.  The
application deadline for SME Education Foundation for grants in the 2002
funding cycle is December 7, 2001.

    Barbara J. Gaston
    SME Public Relations
    313-271-1500, ext. 1861, 313-336-9758 Fax
    Email: gastbar@sme.org
    Web: sme.org