SAN FRANCISCO – May 20, 2010 – Officials with The Conrad Foundation today announced PTC, one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing software companies, has joined the Foundation as one of its newest partners. As part of the agreement, PTC will donate its revolutionary Pro/ENGINEER 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to help U.S. high school students involved in the Foundation’s Spirit of Innovation Awards program to design, develop and commercialize innovative products that help solve challenges of the 21st century.
Pro/ENGINEER is the leading 3D CAD parametric design software on the market, providing solid modeling, assembly modeling and drafting functionality for engineers and designers. It is used by more than 600,000 engineers and 55,000 companies and government agencies every day, such as HP, Lockheed Martin, Sony, Ferrari, Motorola, U.S. Department of Defense, and NASA.
PTC will donate 300 licenses of its Pro/ENGINEER Schools Edition software to each teacher involved with the Conrad Foundation and the Spirit of Innovation Awards – a donation valued at $900,000. This software will enable students to quickly and easily create complex 3D models, assemblies and 2D measured drawings of their creative product ideas. It also promotes student interest in engineering, math, science and technology by enabling them to apply principles learned in the classroom to real-world situations.
“There’s no limit to what students can create and visualize using 3D tools,” said Foundation Chairman Nancy Conrad. “Having access to this software is going to take the breakthrough technologies uncovered through the Spirit of Innovation Awards competition to a new level of excitement. Plus, gaining such design and engineering skills before entering college will put these students one step ahead of the game when they enter the job market in five to 10 years.”
PTC makes it software available to schools and organizations such as The Conrad Foundation through its worldwide Design Quest Schools Program. Pro/ENGINEER software is currently used by more than 1,800 colleges and universities, 25,000 secondary schools in 30 countries and 10 million students in their engineering and technical courses.
About PTC
One of the world’s largest and fastest-growing software companies, PTC delivers a complete portfolio of integral Product Lifecycle Management solutions to more than 55,000 customers in the industrial, high-tech, aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer and medical device industries.
About The Conrad Foundation
The Conrad Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation designed to energize and engage students in science and technology through unique entrepreneurial opportunities. The Foundation builds upon the legacy of heroes in our past to nurture the heroes of our future. By enabling young minds to connect education, innovation and entrepreneurship, The Conrad Foundation provides a bold platform for enriching human capital.
