Engineering focus of program

MOBILE, Ala. – In a bid to get more students interested in engineering, nine Mobile County elementary and middle schools will get a $3.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation for a program designed to do just that. U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner said it’s a pilot program that will set the pace for educators across the nation. The program is Engaging Youth in Engineering. Alabama needs at least 1,200 more engineers and about 24,000 technicians, said Bob Foley, assistant dean at the USA's College of Engineering. The state's engineering colleges are only producing about 400 a year. “You can't bring Northrop Grumman or EADS into Mobile without training workers,” Bonner said. (Source: Mobile Press-Register, 10/06/09)