Commentary: January 2007

By Marie Planchard, SolidWorks Corp.

At some point in the education of pre-engineering students, they will take physics or calculus; a litmus test to determine whether college freshmen have the aptitude or desire to pursue an engineering degree.

Therein lies the challenge for many U.S. students and their teachers.

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula are typically steeped in traditional textbook methods for demonstrating, for example,  the velocity of a free-falling object. But if educators can’t enliven those concepts, they risk losing student interest. When students don’t care about the forces that determine how fast an object will fall, they’re not likely to care about how to engineer the object to be more aerodynamic.

Marie Planchard, SolidWorks Corp.

The challenge of keeping students interested in STEM — and engineering in particular — is systemic in the U.S. The number of college students who abandon engineering degrees midway through their education is staggering, and it is something we should all be concerned about.

Our industry must work with educators to help drive more students to engineering and keep them there. Incorporating 3D CAD tools into lessons from middle school through college is one way to help students see how STEM plays a role in everyday life.

Bringing physics, calculus, and trigonometry to life not only helps students better understand how the world around them works, but it is also critical in showing them how to apply these subjects to engineering. That’s how we ignite their enthusiasm for engineering careers.

Depending on which study you read, anywhere from 50 percent to 65 percent of pre-engineering and engineering students drop out. That doesn’t bode well for the pool of skilled engineers in the U.S. Nor does it bring confidence to the manufacturing industry.

In this digital age where text and video messaging are rampant, educators need to break out of standard methods. With so many distractions,  capturing student imagination is harder now than ever before. 2D graphs only go so far in showing what forces determine the optimum angle for a rear foil on a Formula race car.

However, 3D CAD allows students to better visualize and even interact with the subject matter. It lets them see in 3D how the foil’s shape and angle affect aerodynamic drag at different speeds. They can even project the speeds at which the foil might be ripped off the back of the car. Trigonometry will make even more sense to them if they can see graphically how changing the angles of a truss will affect how it supports a suspension bridge.

At SolidWorks, we’re working with educational institutions such as Plymouth North High School in Massachusetts to develop curricula integrating traditional textbook approaches to STEM with 3D CAD tools that can animate everything from algebra to physics. We have also sponsored global design competitions for everything from robots to race cars to use 3D CAD tools to enhance STEM education.

3D CAD software won’t completely replace textbooks, but it is a powerful complement that makes science, technology, engineering, and math more understandable. This is our industry’s chance to work with academia to use technology to make STEM engaging for students. After all,  they hold the promise of future innovation.

Marie Planchard is director of education at SolidWorks Corporation. View examples of 3D CAD use in the classroom by clicking here. Send your comments about this article through e-mail by clicking here. Please reference “Guest Commentary, STEM Education” in your message.