Minnesota teachers and students will receive free access to powerful mechanical engineering and design software thanks to a partnership between the State of Minnesota and PTC announced today by Governor Tim Pawlenty.

The Governor made the announcement in St. Paul at the University of St. Thomas' School of Engineering STEPS (Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Summer) Camp, an engineering-focused camp for girls entering grades 7 and 11.

"The economic currency of the 21st century is science and math knowledge," Governor Pawlenty said. "We're excited to partner with PTC to create more opportunities for this type of learning in our schools. The young women participating in this camp make us feel good about our future, but we need more kids to get excited about science, technology, engineering and math and this software will help us do just that."

Under the partnership announced today, PTC, a Massachusetts-based global software company, will provide Pro/ENGINEER Schools Edition software, an engineering computer-aided design (CAD) tool capable of creating complex 3D models, assemblies, and 2D measured drawings, free of charge to any trained Minnesota middle school or high school teacher in both public and private schools.

The commercial cost of the software is $5,000 per computer. In Minnesota, there are 2,834 science teachers and 437 technology teachers, meaning hundreds of millions of dollars in software value could eventually be donated to our schools. Only one other state, Pennsylvania, has been involved in a similar program, but that was on a smaller scale.

Each certified teacher will receive a license enabling them to install the software on 300 computers. Students will also be permitted to take the software home to be installed on a computer used there. Training teachers to use the software costs up to $1,500 for a class of 15 teachers. Once a teacher is trained they can teach students to use the software. If they want to become a trainer, teachers can take an additional class. Once a teacher is a trainer, they are able to train other teachers and provide those teachers with the software. School districts will pay for the cost of training teachers to use the software.

"PTC and the science and technology workforce have a vested interest in Minnesota because Governor Pawlenty is leading with his STEM initiative and laying the foundation for a talented workforce," Dr. Ralph Coppola, PTC Director of Worldwide Education said. "There is a common interest for both PTC and Minnesota. We both want prepared students with skills that give them a competitive advantage when entering the workforce. We are looking forward to working with a state that has solid direction and focus when it comes to STEM. We also are excited about partnering with Minnesota because the state has enlightened, creative leadership, which is a key to success."

Students who enter universities with Pro/ENGINEER experience also have a competitive advantage, as 46 of the top 52 mechanical engineering universities in the U.S. teach Pro/ENGINEER in the classroom. Pro/ENGINEER is recognized as the most widely used product development software solution in the world.

Studies show less than 10 percent of high school graduates pursue undergraduate degrees in engineering. Of the 10 percent who do enter engineering, only about 50 percent earn a degree in the field. The software partnership announced today is part of Governor Pawlenty's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiative. The addition of free engineering software and trained teachers in Minnesota schools is designed to encourage and motivate students to engage in STEM fields.

As part of his STEM initiative, the Governor proposed and passed stronger math and science standards during the 2006 legislative session, including new requirements that Algebra I be taken by 8th grade and Algebra II and either physics or chemistry be taken to graduate from high school.

"Too many of our students have turned away from technology and engineering studies and we must do a better job getting students interested in STEM fields," Education Commissioner Alice Seagren said. "PTC's Pro/ENGINEER software will show students real life applications of math and science to solve engineering problems. Technological literacy is important because it is embedded in everything we do."