Thompson School District Selects SolidWorks to Build Students' Engineering Educations; Students Will Begin Learning 3D Mechanical Design as Early as Seventh Grade.

CONCORD, Mass. -- The Thompson School District in North Central Colorado has purchased 160 licenses of SolidWorks(R) Education Edition 3D mechanical design software to give students every possible advantage in their education and careers.

Located in an area that includes parts of Boulder County and southern Fort Collins, the district will use the SolidWorks Education Edition to teach design and engineering to students throughout the district's five middle schools and five high schools. District representatives say they selected SolidWorks software over competing offerings because of the product's quality, its superior technical support, its high level of usage in area businesses, and its dominance in colleges and universities. The SolidWorks Education Edition also includes COSMOS(R) analysis software, which helps students develop important problem-solving skills while they analyze their designs, and allows them to test materials and factors of safety.

Within Colorado, SolidWorks is the 3D mechanical design software of choice at the University of Colorado - Boulder, the Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, and Front Range Community College as well as the university-affiliated Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), both in Boulder. SolidWorks software was also the specific recommendation of business community advisors to Thompson School District, who cited SolidWorks' prevalence in the region's industry.

Middle-schoolers will use SolidWorks as part of an industrial technology curriculum that progresses from 2D to 3D and culminates in the design and construction of sophisticated products like CO2-powered dragsters that students actually race. "It's critical in today's world of heightened global competition that the engineers of tomorrow start learning their craft as early as possible and in all three dimensions," said Ben Deason, the district's middle school curriculum representative and an industrial technology teacher at Lucile Erwin Middle School. "SolidWorks is the right tool since it's the number one 3D mechanical design product in industry and in our evaluation, in terms of quality, reliability, and ease of use."

High school students are already using the software in a wide range of pre-engineering/design programs, from introductory courses through advanced courses, that teach the design of vehicles, machines, and building structures. The students will use SolidWorks software in their final structural engineering projects, which involve supporting hundreds of pounds with balsa wood and paper. COSMOS software will help students validate their concepts before finishing construction and applying actual weights.

"We also chose SolidWorks because we prefer to have our students creating and analyzing designs rather than spending time figuring out how their software works," said Thompson Valley High School teacher John Ryden. "With SolidWorks, they can start designing parts, assemblies, and full-blown products from day one."

Higher education representatives are impressed with Thompson Valley's commitment to 3D mechanical design. "Engineers are made, not born, and they're never too young to begin learning useful engineering software," said Lawrence Carlson, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who teaches SolidWorks to first-year mechanical engineering students. "It's good preparation for their careers and good preparation for higher ed. SolidWorks is a great choice because students will be able to start creating models very quickly and easily, and it is the software they are most likely to encounter in college or work."

More than 14,000 students attend schools in the Thompson School District, which encompasses schools in Loveland, Berthoud, Masonville, Drake, the southern-most part of Fort Collins, the southeast part of Larimer County, and parts of Weld and Boulder counties. The area is a high-technology hotbed, and top engineering students from the district have careers at employers like Agilent Technologies, Ball Aerospace, IBM, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Thompson School District's purchase is an inspiring example of thoughtful coordination within a school system," said Rosanne Kramer, director of worldwide education markets for SolidWorks Corporation. "The District's decision takes into account its relationship with the region's institutions of higher education as well as the state's professional workforce, and perfectly demonstrates the strength of the SolidWorks community. We look forward to supporting the goals of Thompson School District for years to come."

The Thompson School District relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller Career And Technical Training, LLC, for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

About The Thompson School District

The Thompson School District encompasses schools in Loveland, Berthoud, Masonville, Drake, the southern-most part of Fort Collins, the southeast part of Larimer County, and parts of Weld and Boulder counties. More than 14,000 students are educated in 18 elementaries, five middle schools, and five high schools.

About Career And Technical Training, LLC

Career And Technical Training, LLC provides training, service, curriculum, software, lab equipment computers, rapid prototyping machines, laser engravers, lab furniture, and supplies for technology education, engineering, CAD, machining, CAD/CAM, civil engineering, automation and robotics, automated wood production, construction, architectural, consumer and family studies, and other educational programs in Colorado and Wyoming. Located in Windsor, Colo., call 970-686-0379 or visit www.catt-llc.com for more information.

About SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for mechanical design, analysis, and product data management. It is the #1 supplier of 3D mechanical design software for the mainstream market. SolidWorks leads the market in number of users in production, customer satisfaction, and revenue. For the latest news, information, or a live online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call [phone]).

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. COSMOS is a registered trademark of Structural Research and Analysis Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2005 SolidWorks Corporation.