PTC Sponsors 2013 Real World Design Challenge

PTC today joined more than 70 partners on Capitol Hill to kick off the 2012-2013 Real World Design Challenge and announce the themes for this year’s challenges: Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Next Generation Truck Design.

Today’s event was hosted by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and the students from last year’s national champion teams, the Kansas Tornadoes from Baldwin City, KS and Team Xavier from Middletown, CT.

Students that participate in the 2012-2013 Aviation Challenge will work to design an unmanned aircraft system that can locate lost children.  Additionally, the students will need to submit a business plan that makes the system financially viable for 50 rescue missions.  Students who participate in the Surface Challenge will be tasked with designing a next-generation truck with highly-enhanced fuel efficiency in order to protect fuel and energy reserves in the United States.

The Real World Design Challenge is a national design competition with more than 7,800 high school students run by a public-private partnership with the goal of inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and careers. PTC and its partners, including Cessna Aircraft Company and the Federal Aviation Administration, are focused on transforming and enhancing STEM education in the American educational system by providing science, engineering and learning resources that allow students and teachers to address actual challenges confronting the nation’s most important industries.

“The Real World Design Challenge offers students the chance to experience the pride and passion of designing something that could be used in a commercial environment for the benefit of others,” said John Stuart, senior vice president education, PTC.  “PTC is proud to be working with our partners to get students across the country interested in careers in engineering.”

The winning teams from the participating states will be notified in February 2013 and will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete at the National Challenge Event in April 2013.

“Being the coach for the Baldwin High Tornadoes in the Real World Design Challenge competition has been the high point of my educational career,” said Pam Davis, Coach of the Kansas Tornadoes.“The chance to use engineering software and the opportunity to work with professional mentors has helped my students  secure scholarships as well as get accepted into our nation’s best engineering schools.”

PTC provides technology that transforms how customers create and service products, including PTC Creo® CAD product design software, PTC Windchill® PLM software and PTC Mathcad®engineering calculation software, to teams participating in the Real World Design Challenge. PTC also provides connections and access to mentors from its partner organizations across America who are participants in the competition or program management for the competition.

For additional information contact Anthony Coppola at acoppola@ptc.com. To register a team or to sign up as a mentor go to the Real World Design Challenge website www.realworlddesignchallenge.org. The deadline for teams to register for the Real World Design Challenge is November 18, 2012. The solution submissions are due February 6, 2013.