Extracurricular Engineering Education
TAME’s curriculum makes it easy for teachers and other adults to offer high-quality afterschool engineering education opportunities for students in your community.
Within each TAME Region, TAME Clubs serve middle and high school students and are based at schools, libraries or community centers. TAME Clubs are led by teachers and volunteers. TAME Clubs make extracurricular engineering education programs possible – at no cost to schools, students or families – in communities statewide. The TAME Club curriculum engages students in exciting real-world engineering challenges based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering.
What are the requirements for a TAME Club?
In order for TAME Clubs to qualify for a toolkit of supplies and to receive an invitation to the annual engineering competitions, each TAME Club must meet the following criteria:
- Located in Texas
- Have an adult leader who passes a background check
- Have at least 6 students in grades 6 -12 registered
- Have regular meetings where students can strengthen skills and explore engineering and STEM with hands-on activities
The 2025 deadline to register your TAME Club is September 26. Your toolkit contents will be determined by the number of students registered in your club on this date.
Register a Returning TAME Club
Use this link if you are a returning Club Leader registering an existing TAME Club.
Register a New TAME Club
Welcome! Use this link if you are registering a TAME Club for the first time.
Find a TAME Club in your area
Find your local TAME Club. Don’t see one? Start your own!
Recruitment Materials & Information For Families
TAME has created materials that you can customize to help recruit students for your TAME Club, communicate with families, and attract volunteers to support your TAME programing.
Materials are available in English and Spanish, as PDF documents and/or Canva templates.
Answers to Common Questions
Why start a TAME Club?
Share your love for engineering and spark the curiosity in the next generation of Texas engineers!
TAME Clubs meet regularly (weekly, monthly, etc.), are offered at no-cost to students, and the TAME Club model can be adapted to your school or community group.
Here’s how it works: The TAME State Office provides a research-backed curriculum for TAME Club activities.
Qualified TAME Clubs can compete in TAME’s Regional Engineering Competitions that begin in January each year. Graduating seniors who have participated in TAME are eligible to apply for TAME Scholarships.
Who can start a TAME Club?
Any adult can lead a TAME Club*. If you are a parent, family member, teacher, librarian, community member, or engineering professional, you can register to lead a TAME Club in your community. Typically, TAME Clubs are based at schools and community organizations (e.g., Boys & Girls Club).
*Club leaders subject to a background check
What is the curriculum theme for the 2025-26 school year?
The theme for the 2025-26 TAME Club curriculum is exploring the history of energy in Texas.
How can I ensure my club will be eligible to compete in TAME Engineering Competitions?
In order to be eligible to compete in the annual TAME Engineering Competitions, each TAME Club must meet the following requirements:
- Have at least 6 student participants in grades 6 – 12
- Have regular meetings where students can strengthen skills and explore engineering and STEM with hands-on activities
- RSVP for students and leaders by December 5
I am already in a STEM/Robotics/Rocketry Club. Can we still get involved with TAME?
Absolutely! As long as your group meets our requirements, your adult leader will be able to register your group as a TAME Club. To receive an invitation to participate in Engineering Competitions, your club will need to meet our criteria.
Here are some of the organizations whose leaders have also registered their groups as TAME Clubs (so far):
4-H
Austin Youth River Watch
BEST Robotics
Code Wars
FIRST Robotics
Future City Competition
Generation Hope
Girl Scouts
Homeschoolers Unlimited Texas (HUT)
Junior Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE, Jr.)
Latinos in Science and Engineering (MAES)
Lunar Cave Analog Test Sites (LCATS)
Science Olympiad
Solar Car Challenge
Team Rocketry America Challenge (TARC)
Texas Pre-Freshman Engineering Program
Vex Robotics
Since 1976, TAME has built partnerships like these to bring as many opportunities as possible to the students of Texas. Who else do you know who would have fun at an Engineering Competition? What groups in your community already have everything they need to register as a TAME Club? Encourage them to register a TAME Club!
Is there a cost to students, schools or Club Leaders to participate in TAME?
No, TAME Club programming, as well as our regional engineering competitions and scholarship program, are offered at no cost to Texas students, families and volunteers.
Questions? Contact TAME at [email protected].
TAME helped me meet and learn from engineers of different backgrounds and see that anyone with passion and determination can pursue a career in engineering, and that gave me much greater confidence. – TAME alumnus, University of Texas at Dallas
