Evolving Technical Graphics in the High Schools: A New Curriculum in Scientific Visualization

A new curriculum, Scientific Visualization, is being taught by high school technical graphics and science teachers for the first time in the Fall of 1997. This curriculum reflects a broadening application of computer graphics techniques in the workplace and represents a rich area for technical graphics teachers at all levels of education to be involved in. The goal of the two-course sequence at the high school level is to give students expertise in manipulating both geometry and the visual characteristics of geometry, such as color and texture. These visual elements are used to construct 2-D and 3-D graphic images which support the understanding of scientific and technical principles. These courses are meant to complement rather than replace more mainstream technical graphics courses in architectural and mechanical graphics. The proposed student populations taking the scientific visualization courses are not only the traditional vocational track students, but also pre-college students planning on studying in scientific, engineering, and technical fields. Work is underway developing a extensive set of support materials and sample problems for use in the newly developed curriculum. Implications for teaching technical graphics in higher education will be discussed in this paper as well as the impact this type of curriculum may have on colleges and universities with future students having gone through this type of course and training.