[ Principles of Engineering ] [ Computer Integrated Manufacturing ]
[ Sophomore Research Project ]
The sophomore technology curriculum is a continuation of the freshman year program. The second year of Project Lead The Way consists of two classes, Principles of Engineering and Computer Integrated Manufacturing. The two are then coupled with a research class to provide students with the full spectrum of science and engineering education.

Principles of Engineering provides students with an introduction to basic engineering values, specifically mechanical engineering. The course is project based, starting with a short briefing or instruction on a topic by the professor. The students are then presented with a problem to solve independently or in a group. The projects that the students work on involve mechanical, electrical, and structural engineering. Such projects include designing bridges or raising a flag using the 6 types of simple machines. The High Technology High School has a variety of machines and tools at the students' disposal to aid in both the designing and production of their projects. The class also discusses the concerns social and political consequences of technological change.
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Computer Integrated Manufacturing masterfully blends computer aided design (CAD) with manufacturing and prototyping, applying principles of robotics and automation. Students use Autodesk Inventor software to model and render everyday objects and machine parts. Further along in the year, the students relay mathematical coordinates to a machine that carves objects for them. They later combined their modeling and instruction-giving skills in order to use the milling machine. Use of the milling machine allows the computer’s CAD files to provide the numerical instructions to the milling machine, without human translation. According to student Sean Linford, “CIM provides me with the skills I need for my future.”
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During their freshman year, every student learns research techniques and formulates a research project of their own. Now in the sophomore research class, the students are given time to perform their projects. The new research lab just built last year has a large area with many tools that students can use to set up their projects. After conducting the research, the sophomores must put together a report analyzing the data received and concluding whether their research hypotheses are supported.

Students may choose to participate in the New Jersey Shore Science Fair at the John Stockton College and apply for a grant-in-aid from the New Jersey Junior Academy of Science. Students have chosen to explore a wide variety of research topics ranging from the social sciences to botanical experiments. In the past few years, High Tech students have won several awards at competitions on both the local, regional, and national levels. This year, two TSA members traveled to Denver, Colorado to represent the New Jersey Junior Academy of Science at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.



Students at the Jersey Shore Science Fair 2002.




The four High Tech students in the Behavioral Sciences category.




A student with a project entered in the Botany category.




One of the students that presented in Denver.




The other High Tech student that went to Denver.
JSSF 2002 photographs courtesy of Ed Jaggard.
Denver conference photographs taken by Christopher Harris.
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