Lynchburg Business

CAER and Lynchburg City Schools Team Up for the Future of Technology

Issue: July 2010 by Johanna Calfee in Education, Inside The Magazine

“One of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one’s own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought.”

-Albert Einstein

One of the primary reasons education as an industry exists is to prepare students to be functioning members of society. Of particular relevance is the prospect of creating a strong and dynamic workforce, which will positively impact the economic standing of the Lynchburg area. One of the organizations that is working to create this future workforce is the Center for Advanced Engineering and Research (CAER).

CAER is a partner of Region 2000, and according to Bob Bailey, executive director of CAER, its primary mission is to foster relationships between resources and industries, including education, which will improve the overall economic climate of Region 2000.

“The CAER will target growth industries and high tech industries in Region 2000 and work to establish effective and beneficial relationships between these industries and major research and development resources, resulting in innovation and the practical implementation of innovation in the region’s industries and professional development opportunities for scientists and engineers,” Bailey said. “As a result, the CAER will facilitate a shift from traditional economic development activities to Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) activities in the region.” 

Within the past year, CAER has taken part in several initiatives, which will help prepare Region 2000 students for careers in technical fields. In November of 2009, CAER broke ground on a research and education center located in the New London Business and Technology Center in Bedford, Virginia. This facility, which will open in 2011, “will make its research and education facility available to teachers and students to explore applied science and engineering careers, and to engage students and teachers in research activities,” according to Bob Bailey.

One of the local school systems that will be taking advantage of this new facility is Lynchburg City Schools. In March of this year, CAER entered into a partnership with LCS to improve the instructional experience and offer greater opportunities for students in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or S.T.E.M. 

“The partnership will provide direct support for S.T.E.M. programs by applying CAER resources to heighten instruction, student performance and career awareness in S.T.E.M. areas,” Bailey explained. “This master partnership agreement between the CAER and the Lynchburg City Schools’ S.T.E.M. programs is being established to enhance and expand educational opportunities for students. The partnership will provide direct support for S.T.E.M. programs by applying CAER resources to heighten instruction and student performance and career awareness in S.T.E.M. areas.” 

According to the CAER strategic plan and the Lynchburg City Schools’ “Partners in Education” agreement, there are four major objectives for this partnership:

1)      To provide assistance and support for the existing S.T.E.M. classes and teachers.

2)      To collaborate to produce the most efficient use of laboratory facilities and instructional resources.

3)      To provide opportunities for students to explore careers in S.T.E.M. areas through job shadowing, internships, mentoring and cooperative education experiences.

4)      To increase student and parent awareness of the diverse S.T.E.M. career opportunities in Region 2000. 

In addition to the aforementioned access to its facilities, CAER also takes an active role in supporting S.T.E.M. instruction in several other ways. According to the strategic plan, the CAER will, among other things:

• Assist in maintaining a valid and contemporary competency list for LCS S.T.E.M. programs.
• Assist in designing classroom/laboratory space for LCS S.T.E.M. programs.
• Assist in development and maintenance of curriculum that supports LCS S.T.E.M. programs.
• Help provide financial, technical and other resource needs to support the establishment and maintenance of LCS S.T.E.M. programs.
• Promote interest in S.T.E.M. careers.

In addition, CAER will “provide technical support and staff for visits and presentations to LCS S.T.E.M. classes and inform students and parents of the employment opportunities available in the Region 2000 science and engineering sector,” according to the strategic plan. Representatives for CAER and the Lynchburg City Schools’ S.T.E.M. programs will also serve on the partnership planning committee to plan, monitor and evaluate all partnership activities. These partnerships through CAER and the Lynchburg City Schools’ S.T.E.M. programs will be promoted and activities publicized through “newsletters, press releases, partner visits, and other appropriate company and division publications.”

When you consider the difficult economic times our state is currently experiencing, partnerships between educational institutions and outside organizations become vital.  These partnerships provide a reciprocal relationship with mutual benefits. On the one hand, the educational institution receives support for its instructional program, while the non-educational institution is able to provide training for a future workforce that will potentially improve the economic climate.

It is through the development of partnerships, such as the one between CAER and LCS, that the horizons of our students will be broadened. Further, it will enable them to not only see potential careers in S.T.E.M. related fields, but will also provide educational opportunities and training in these fields. It is these types of partnerships that will serve to improve not only the instructional opportunities for our students, but will also prepare our students for life outside of schools. These partnerships can help lead our students into what Einstein called, “the world of objective perception and thought.”