Soon, high-school age students in master-planned Lakemont will have the opportunity to explore engineering and engineering technology as a potential career.

The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District recently announced that its Board of Trustees approved a new series of elective courses for students in its four high schools for the 2010-11 school year which includes Foster High School which serves students in Lakemont. Beginning in August 2010, students in grades 9 and 10 will have an opportunity to join students from across the nation to explore engineering and engineering technology as a potential career.

The district reports that it has joined the national pre-engineering program titled Project Lead the Way (PLTW). Currently offered in more than 3,000 school districts in all 50 states, PLTW curriculum was developed with the help of engineers and engineering universities and allows students to use science, technology, math and engineering to solve real world problems.

The first course in the new course series is Introduction to Engineering Design (IED). Students, in grades 9 and 10, who like to create and design will be provided opportunities to learn engineering design software and to solve real world problems in the IED class.

Students who successfully complete IED will be able to take additional courses during the following school years including Principles of Engineering (POE), Digital Electronics (DE), Civil Engineering and Architecture (CEA), Biotechnical Engineering (BTE), Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), and Engineering Design and Development (EDD).

For more information, visit the Lamar CISD website at www.lcisd.org.