“A gulp-worthy 60% of freshmen engineering students eventually drop-out or change majors. Over 40% don’t even make it through year one.”
Andrew Belasco, collegetransitions.com
Many potentially successful high school students close the door on a great career path because they enter college unprepared. Our courses help aspiring engineers avoid the misery of a first year spent drowning in material they simply were not prepared for.
We know from experience – entering college unprepared for engineering is a disheartening experience. Our courses set students up to succeed from the start.
The pressure is off parents and teachers to understand or teach complicated material. Catapult's Teaching Assistants from Auburn University will guide your student through.
Engineering is an incredible career path – it's the perfect mix of rewarding and challenging (and yes, lucrative). With our courses, you will lay a foundation for future success.
As engineers, we know what students need to be successful in college. As teachers, we have been effectively communicating difficult concepts to high school students for over two decades.
If you feel in over your head trying to chart your path to success as an engineer, we get it! Engineering is overwhelming, which is why our experienced team of Teaching Assistants from the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University and I have dedicated ourselves to helping you succeed.
Choosing to do extra coursework in high school is not the easy road, but it will make your life much easier down the road. Invest in your future by joining us in the Catapult Engineering Academy community!
See you in the course,
Mark Conner, PhD, Founder & Lead Teacher
Mark is a Mechanical Engineer with a passion for teaching. Mark has been teaching high school since 1996 and has spent 12 years as an adjunct assistant professor in UAB’s School of Engineering. Since 2003, he has overseen all of the curriculum development and operations of The Engineering Academy at Hoover High School in Birmingham, AL. He has personally taught Engineering Instrumentation & Analysis, Solid Modeling & Engineering Design, Engineering Computations with MATLAB and LabVIEW, Engineering Design & Entrepreneurship, AP Physics C (Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism), and more.
Mark completed undergrad at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He continued his education at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering where he obtained an MS, PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
"I cannot adequately put into words how well the Engineering Academy prepared me to succeed in undergrad, my career, and life."
After taking the Catapult Engineering Academy courses in high school, I served as a Catapult Teaching Assistant (TA) while attending Auburn University where I majored in Mechanical Engineering and minored in Business. Having worked with public, private, and home school students through this program, I can unequivocally say that Catapult and its TA’s prioritize the success of each student and are able deliver the content, answer questions, and provide feedback that allow all students to grow. This program is a great way to get early experience with STEM topics and will certainly accelerate the academic and professional career of its participants. Being well-prepared coming out of high school enabled me to make the most of opportunities available while at Auburn. I was a Trumpet Section Leader in the AU Marching Band, interned at Southern Company, Co-oped at Georgia Pacific, and worked in an undergraduate research lab (and yes, I still managed to have a life). I've spent the last 2.5 years working for Frito-Lay as a Manufacturing Manager leading cross functional teams of 30-120+ in the production of billion dollar brands like Lays, Cheetos, Doritos, etc. This fall I'm excited to be attending the Kellogg School of Management as I pursue my MBA.
"The academic adjustment to college was incredibly smooth for me."
Because of the engineering knowledge and concepts I gained through Catapult, I did not learn any new engineering concepts until I was a second semester sophomore. I was able to apply the skills I learned in high school every single semester in college, and I was able to help teach others who did not have the opportunity to gain engineering knowledge prior to college. Walking into my college classrooms with thorough knowledge of calculus-based physics, computer programming, and computer modeling was invaluable to me, and I carry these skills into the workplace as well. I recently completed a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics at Mississippi State University. I am now a Research Mechanical Engineer at the Engineering Research and Development Center, a division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. I am working in one of seven labs in the United States to perform research and prototyping for the army. I will specifically be working with artificial intelligence and missile defense in the Geotechnical and Structural Laboratory.
"Without a doubt this curriculum was the greatest contributing factor to my success in my college engineering coursework."
Having modeling software like SolidWorks in my skill set walking into college gave me a significant advantage over my peers who came into our engineering curriculum with no prior training. Both MATLAB and SolidWorks were programs that I used in my college classes, but even more importantly, the effect of knowing how to use these tools changed the way I approached learning. As a civil engineering major, I used the content from the Catapult curriculum daily. Not only was I more equipped for success in college than those in my cohort, I was more polished and confident when entering the workforce upon graduation. I owe much of my success today to the time and effort spent in high school by this incredible program. I am now a Senior Preconstruction Manager with Brasfield & Gorrie producing cost estimates, schedules, operational and logistics plans, and construction phasing assessments for projects between $5 million and $500 million.
"I learned how to work hard and, most importantly, persevere when I am faced with challenges."
As an electrical engineering student, I can see how the time I spent in college-level courses during high school paid great dividends in college. Catapult gives great opportunities for students to obtain a variety of skills. The skills I learned from the Engineering Computations course not only helped me achieve top grades in my classes but also have the ability to help my peers.
"I hope to expose my students to new skills and interests just as Catapult Engineering Academy did for me."
After graduating from The University of Alabama with a degree in Electrical Engineering, I worked as a test engineer in substations for Alabama Power for two years. Now, I am using my passion for STEM to engage students in the classroom as an upper school mathematics teacher and assistant robotics coach at Darlington School. As a math teacher, I sometimes hear, “When will I ever use this?” I know, from my experience as a student in the Engineering Academy, Catapult has been designed for students to instead eagerly wonder, “How soon will I get to use this?”
"I had already developed the hard skills to deliver valuable work, and the soft skills to effectively communicate it."
I'm Oakley Prell, a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Alabama where I'm also part of the STEM Path to the MBA program. My experience with Catapult Engineering Academy made a tremendous difference for me in developing confidence in my technical and communication skills before college. As a freshman in college, I was able to get heavily involved in research and extracurricular projects which led to multiple internship offers. These opportunities were available because I had already developed the hard skills to deliver valuable work, and the soft skills to effectively communicate it.
"Catapult cultivated technical and communication skills that enabled me to excel in every first year engineering class."
I am a sophomore in Materials Science & Engineering at Arizona State University. I can say from firsthand experience that the Catapult curriculum is an invaluable foundation for students entering into university engineering programs! In high school, I took the courses offered through Catapult Engineering Academy. Ideveloped skills in SolidWorks, Microsoft Excel, technical writing, and presentation design and delivery--all of which prepared me to thrive as a learner and leader in the Arizona State engineering community.
"I truly wouldn't be the engineer I am today without what I learned in high school through the Engineering Academy."
I recently finished a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and now work as a Research Engineer at Shell New Energies. I would recommend these courses to some of my colleagues today, and I would certainly recommend them to high schoolers who want to be life-long problem-solvers and excel in the “real world” in addition to the classroom. Many of the skills I learned in the Engineering Academy have proven invaluable in the work I do as an engineer today. For one, the foundation of programming skills I was able to build during high school set me ahead of my peers in college, which gave me time to seek out and learn new skills. As a result, I can code in several languages now and build models every day that hold many of the fundamental building blocks that I learned about in high school.
"I am a living testimony that going through this program works!"
The same material I learned in the Catapult courses showed up in my college classes and to have learned it beforehand made a lot of my college experience so much easier. If given the opportunity to take these courses again I would not think twice. This experience has truly been a blessing for my family and me. As a result of my preparation in high school, I had the opportunity to work as an engineering apprentice for Kamtek Cosma International from the time I graduated high school until I earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UAB. I'm now a Process/Quality Engineer for Kamtek, and I'm currently pursuing a Master's degree in Informational Engineering Management.
One Course = One Semester = $400*
Two Courses = Two Semesters = $700*
Grades 9–12
Three-dimensional modeling software has changed how quickly designers can move from idea to functioning prototype. These software tools have also impacted the designer’s ability to communicate ideas to others. Introduction to Solid Modeling & Engineering Design teaches students how to create 3D models of parts and mechanisms using SolidWorks, an industry-standard computer-aided design (CAD) program. Students will learn concepts that are commonly taught in the first year of a collegiate engineering curriculum.
The first and third Monday of each month beginning August 24, 2020
Click to view prerequisites, topics covered, requirements, and more details.
While this course is not math-intensive, it is consistent with a freshman-level engineering course and teaches valuable skills for high school students in any grade. Students will be required to read and interpret fully and partially dimensioned drawings and apply geometric relationships (e.g., parallel, perpendicular, tangent, concentric) to define sketches and features associated with solid models. Students who have not completed Algebra 1 are encouraged to take it concurrently.
Students will learn concepts that are commonly taught in the first year of a collegiate engineering curriculum, including:
While this course is not math-intensive, it is consistent with a freshman-level engineering course and teaches valuable skills for high school students in any grade. Students who have not completed Algebra 1 are encouraged to take it concurrently.
Technical Requirements: SolidWorks is provided through Catapult Engineering Academy, and the cost is included in the course fee. SolidWorks only runs under the Windows 10, 64-bit operating system. It will not run on a Mac unless there is a Windows partition or a virtual machine in place. All Catapult courses require a high speed internet connection.
Grades 9–12
Intermediate Solid Modeling & Engineering Design builds on the concepts taught in its prerequisite course, Introduction to Solid Modeling & Engineering Design. This two-course sequence is designed to prepare students to take the Certified SolidWorks Associate – Academic Exam to earn the first level of certification in SolidWorks. Students will be required to apply what they learned in the first course as they study additional concepts that are also commonly taught in the first year of a collegiate engineering curriculum.
Requires Prerequisite
Click to view prerequisites, topics covered, requirements, and more details.
The additional concepts covered in the second course include:
While this course is not math-intensive, it is consistent with a freshman-level engineering course and teaches valuable skills for high school students in any grade. Students who have not completed Algebra 1 are encouraged to take it concurrently.
Technical Requirements: SolidWorks is provided through Catapult Engineering Academy, and the cost is included in the course fee. SolidWorks only runs under the Windows 10, 64-bit operating system. It will not run on a Mac unless there is a Windows partition or a virtual machine in place. All Catapult courses require a high speed internet connection.
Grades 10–12
Every engineering discipline is being transformed by the ability to put computers anywhere and interconnect them (Internet of Things). Engineers must have at least a basic understanding of computer programming and the impact that computers have on design solutions. Introduction to Engineering Computations with MATLAB teaches computer programming with the same programming language used in colleges of engineering around the country. Students will learn fundamental programming logic and structures that are taught in the first year of a collegiate engineering curriculum.
The first and third Monday of each month beginning August 24, 2020
Click to view prerequisites, topics covered, requirements, and more details.
Introduction to Engineering Computations with MATLAB focuses on learning to use programming logic and structures in combination with mathematical models to develop automated solutions to real-world problems. The math used in the course includes arithmetic (order of operations), algebra, some use of basic trigonometric functions, basic statistics, and basic matrix mathematics (addition, subtraction, multiplication). The course does include teaching and support material for the required trigonometry and matrix math concepts. Students should have completed Algebra 1 prior to taking the course and are encouraged to at least be taking Geometry concurrently. While the recommended audience is Grades 10–12, younger students who have completed Algebra 1 and have a strong aptitude in math and an interest programming can be successful in this course.
Students will learn fundamental programming logic and structures that are taught in the first year of a collegiate engineering curriculum, including:
Technical Requirements: The software required for this course is the MATLAB Student Edition, which is available for $49.00 from mathworks.com. The cost of the software will be deducted from the course fee when you register for the course. MATLAB is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The student edition license also includes access to MATLAB Online. All Catapult courses require a high speed internet connection.
Grades 10–12
Nearly every engineer uses spreadsheet software at some point in their careers, and many do so daily. Microsoft Excel dominates the spreadsheet market and is probably the most recognized and readily available computation and analysis tool for engineers. Introduction to Microsoft Excel for Science & Engineering teaches concepts that should be, but typically are not, taught in the first year of a collegiate curriculum for both engineers and scientists. College professors often assume students know some of these concepts, but many of the topics covered in the course may be news to many professors.
Releasing Late Fall 2020, Preorder Now
Click to view prerequisites, topics covered, requirements, and more details.
The concepts covered include inputting formulas that use basic arithmetic operations, statistics functions built into Excel, and some of Excel’s conditional functions that include logical comparisons. Students should have completed Algebra 1 prior to taking the course and are encouraged to at least be taking Geometry concurrently. While the recommended audience is Grades 10–12, younger students who have completed Algebra 1 and have a strong aptitude in math can be successful in this course.
Topics covered include:
Technical Requirements: The software required for this course is the desktop version of Microsoft Excel, version 2016 or later. The online version through Office 365 is not sufficient for this course. Students are responsible for acquiring an appropriate desktop version of Microsoft Excel which is available for both Windows and Mac. All Catapult courses require a high speed internet connection.
The vast majority of hopeful engineers aren't prepared for college – over 60% eventually drop out or change majors.
Freshman year should be fun, not miserable. Download the eBook and follow these five clear steps to be the best prepared freshman in your class, and enjoy your time in college while you build a successful future as an engineer.
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Our courses will give you tools you need to succeed – as an engineer and in life!
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