When he isn't interesting school children in engineering and science through an innovative program, TI alumni Lorton Trent can be found pursuing his other passion - motorcycles.

On a Roll

Lorton Trent won't let a little thing like retirement slow him down

By Paula Felps

If the retirement years are supposed to be a time to slow down and take it easy, someone needs to inform Lorton Trent. More than a decade after retiring from TI, Lorton has become instrumental in reaching and recruiting the next generation of engineers.

After spending 25 years with GSI and the TI Defense business, Lorton retired from TI and joined the staff of SMU in 1991, where he headed up the mechanical engineering laboratory. He struck up a friendship with Dr. Charles Lovas, who had some big IDEAS for him.

IDEAS - or, The Institute for Diversity in Engineering and Society - is a program designed to attract students to the field of engineering.

"The time to interest students in science and engineering is in elementary and middle school," explains Lorton, who runs a consulting business in specialized medical equipment and works on his motorcycles in his "spare" time.

"By the time they get to high school, it's too late. You need to interest them at a much younger age so they'll know what classes they need to take in high school in order to be able to pursue it as a career."

The future of engineering is a growing concern for industries; the number of BS engineering degrees awarded in the United States has dropped about 20 percent since 1985. The IDEAS program sees college students and volunteers taking the basics of engineering into the schools and demystifying it.

"Kids at that age have no idea what engineers and scientists do," Lorton says. "And science teachers at that level are scared of physics. We want to get teachers more comfortable with [engineering] and get the kids interested in what they can do with it."

The IDEAS program got a huge boost - and found a natural fit - in 1999 when it teamed up with the Society of Automotive Engineers' A World in Motion (AWIN) program. Lorton, who is vice chairman of math and science for the Texas Section of SAE, is responsible for promoting the program to schools throughout the northern half of Texas.

"We have various physics-types projects, depending on the age group, that allow students to follow the basic engineering process," Lorton explains. At the fourth grade level the children build a small, wind-powered skimmer; by seventh grade they are creating electric cars and using an array of skills, from math and science principles to language skills to social studies. At the end of the project, the students make a final report to an audience and present their car.

"The teachers have told us such great stories; kids will come to school sick just to have the chance to work on their car," Lorton says. "This really does get the kids interested and involved. It's such a pleasure to see them get down there and do their thing."

For the eighth graders, which is the final grade participating in the AWIN program, students build a glider, but also must go through the process of writing a book about how to build it. Throughout the program, the students learn teamwork along with developing a newfound appreciation for math and science.

"We're stressing the importance of the program especially to girls and minorities," says Lorton, adding that both these demographics have been largely overlooked in the past. "We're missing a big part of the market by not doing that. We're really trying to get into the Dallas schools, because I think this would do a world of good for a lot of those kids. It would give them a lot better things to do with their lives."

Presently, the program is heavily concentrated in the Dallas suburbs, such as Irving, Lewisville, Garland and Richardson. Lorton hopes that more awareness of the program will help land it in more schools. Dr. Lovas says he has been impressed by the results already achieved by Lorton's efforts.

"Lorton has worked hard recruiting teachers, students, and schools into the program," he says. "He is totally responsible for making all the contacts that resulted in the 7,000 students in the program."

Still, that's just the beginning for Lorton Trent.

"It's a little early to get a metric on the results. One day I want to be able to say that 'X' number of students went into engineering because of this program," he says. "Right now I'm trying to get more people involved in it. TI retirees are perfect, because there's so many engineer and technical types. And this is something that is incredibly rewarding to do."