The University’s TechPREP program has received a second Innovation Generation grant from the Motorola Foundation, which will be used to create mathematics and physics learning modules for TechPREP’s current cohort of middle school girls. The new learning modules will be taught during the spring and summer of 2010.
TechPREP is a collaborative effort between the Liberty Partnership, the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP), Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), the Department of Technology and Society, and the Outreach Program for Long Island Technology Education (OPLITE). It is a multi-track program targeting sixth to eighth grade female students, parents, and school administrators in high-needs school districts on Long Island. The collaborators are delivering an integrated program that encompasses mentoring, technology demonstrations, classroom instruction, and an overall awareness of engineering and computer technologies.
“Past experience has shown us that by introducing young women to science and mathematics early in their education we increase the probability of them pursuing STEM majors as undergraduates,” said Carrie-Ann Miller, director of Stony Brook’s WISE program and co-director of TechPREP.
The Motorola Foundation’s Innovation Generation grant program seeks to spark student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as help develop critical-thinking skills for the long term. Providing $5 million to K-12 programs across the U.S. in 2009, the initiative supports hands-on, innovative after-school programs, science and math clubs, teacher training, and mentoring programs.
“By funding TechPREP, the Motorola Foundation recognizes the importance of supporting University outreach programs that keep alive nascent interests in science and mathematics among young students. This effort will eventually increase the numbers of students who graduate with university and college degrees in STEM disciplines,” said Paul Siegel, co-director of TechPREP.
Since 2000, the Motorola Foundation has contributed more than $40 million to education initiatives with a focus on STEM.
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