The Arizona Department of Education has awarded a 2010 Spotlight on Success award to the UA College of Engineering's pioneering program to teach Engineering 102 in high schools. Students in participating schools who take the class earn credit hours toward an engineering degree at UA.

The Spotlight on Success award recognizes educators, schools, and programs for their exemplary efforts in providing quality education to Arizona's students. The award was made jointly to the UA College of Engineering and four participating high schools with career technical education programs: Sabino, Ironwood Ridge, Flowing Wells, and Marana Mountain View.

The 6th Annual Spotlight on Success Awards Luncheon was held Nov. 16 at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Ariz.

"Congratulations on this model program of study," said Milt Ericksen, deputy associate superintendent and state director for career and technical education at the Arizona Department of Education, in a letter to Jim Baygents, associate dean for academic affairs at the UA College of Engineering. "It is the work of initiatives such as this that will propel Arizona students into a successful future."

Once engineering students get to the UA College of Engineering, one of the many fun projects that freshman engineers participate in during the ENGR 102 class is solar oven design.

This year, more than 80 teams assembled Nov. 5 on the UA Mall for the first ever Solar Oven Throw Down.

Teams were required to calculate the performance index of their ovens, which is the ratio of the temperature increase in the oven to the delivered cost of the oven.

Pictured above are Hannah McNeal, left, and Erika McMahan, who were both on the Geek Squad team supervised by professor Supapan Seraphin.