An artist's conception of the inside of LTU's 21st Century Mobile Tour trailer.
LTU file illustration.

SOUTHFIELD—Since its founding 90 years ago, Lawrence Technological University has proven to thousands of students that science, technology, engineering, architecture and design, and mathematics and computing—the STEAM disciplines—aren’t just pathways to rewarding careers.

STEAM can also be a heck of a lot of fun.

Now, LTU is taking that message on the road, in the form of a 53-foot semi-trailer that’s being converted into a mobile laboratory and demonstration center.

“LTU is in the business of preparing students for future careers and job descriptions that don’t exist yet,” said Tarek Sobh, LTU provost and chief academic officer. “While many universities wait for students to come to them, we are going directly to high school campuses.”

The plan is for the “LTU 21st Century Mobile Tour” to visit more than 400 high schools and 60,000 students over the next three years. The tour will consist of a trailer with eye-catching graphics and an extended tent pavilion promoting the programs of Lawrence Tech’s four colleges—Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering—that prepare students for fun, challenging, financially beneficial and rewarding careers that benefit society.

LTU’s motto of “theory and practice” will be in full force—the exhibit will feature the latest technical advances, displaying working models, prototypes, experiments, and information on high-growth industries.

“The tour is a transformative project with tremendous opportunities to offer significant scholarships, potential internships, and career paths,” Sobh said.

A limited number of opportunities for employers and companies to collaborate in this outreach effort are available. To view early concepts of the exhibit’s design, visit https://youtu.be/8g4BtCO75as.

For more information on participating in the project, email techtrailer@ltu.edu.

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers nearly 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 15 percent of universities for the salaries of its graduates, and U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best Midwestern universities. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 100 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.