ACE METAL Foundations introduces students to materials, design, tools and manufacturing through fun, ready-to-use classroom activities.
Today’s students are growing up in a world where how things are made matters again—for national security, economic stability, and innovation.
The challenge is that most students are never exposed to manufacturing careers early enough to consider them.
ACE METAL Foundations changes that in elementary school.
What is this all about?
Students begin forming career identity around age 10. If they don’t see these pathways early, we lose them before they even know the option exists.
This program helps students see themselves as builders, makers, and problem-solvers. They will understand how what they learn in school connects to the real world.
ACE METAL Foundations, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, is a K–5 set of activities that introduces students to smart manufacturing, materials science, engineering, foundational physics principles, and basic chemistry through hands-on activities and real-world applications. It is part of a larger, nationally supported pipeline that connects entire school systems into a career pathways pipeline.
In the classroom, this looks like one activity delivered right to your school every nine weeks. Each activity comes with its own materials, a short, high-quality video that walks teachers and students through every step of the activity and a teacher guide. These activities also work in STEM blocks, science class or enrichment time.
There’s no specialized manufacturing knowledge required for teachers and no cost to teachers or schools.
