Brentwood High Engineering Curriculum Gives Students New Opportunities

A special curriculum is opening doors for Brentwood High engineering students.

Brentwood High is one of approximately 50 schools across the nation and the Virgin Islands to use the E4USA curriculum, which aims to make engineering a more accessible and less intimidating career. With the help of the program, first-year engineering students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of community projects.

“Last year, we worked with the Nashville Zoo to create a food delivery system for the caracals, a back scratcher and puzzle feeder for the giraffes, a balancing board for a clouded leopard and a ‘howdy’ door for the tapirs,” said BHS engineering teacher Mike Kiser. “This year, we have a new community partnership with the Nashville Superspeedway.”

In addition to local projects, BHS students also had the opportunity to tune into a Zoom call from a NASA engineer on January 26.

“During the call, students were also able to learn about what an engineer’s role was in the Artemis I project,” Kiser said. “They also heard how the presenting engineer came to work at NASA and what her career looks like on a day-to-day basis.”

Kiser added that the E4USA curriculum helps students realize that the engineering profession is not an unattainable goal and that it is a service profession.