My name is Thomas Oliver Mooney Jr, I am a Hickory High School graduate, and an Electrical Engineering Graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Engineering.

It has come to my attention that there is a proposal, 8VAC20-543-280, which would create a separate Engineering program of study. I believe that this would be a mistake. The better solution would be more support of the Senate Joint Resolution 308, which would create a collaborative teaching environment, as opposed to separating the disciplines further.

Engineering heavily relies on mathematics, and science. The classes that we have in technology inspired me to become an Engineer. I believe that integrating the STEM subject classes would greatly improve the effectiveness of preparing young minds for the college environment. There are programs in Virginia now that are excellent at this integration, programs such as TSA (Technology Student Association), FIRST (For Inspiration of Science and Technology), and VEX (VEX Robotics Competition). These, as well as other, programs offer the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in a way that no single class can.

The addition of a separate Engineering class is unnecessary. Engineering itself is just the act of problem solving, using math, science, and technology to help with that process. The classes that we have in Technology are already using that mentality successfully.