For Immediate Release                                                                            Contact: Shelly Talley
July 14, 2009                                                                                                                 (860) 244-1941

 

LOCAL COMPANIES DONATE COMPUTERS TO HARTFORD'S ACADEMY OF
ENGINEERING AND GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Northeast Utilities (NU) and Hamilton Sundstrand, a United Technologies Corporation (UTC) company—together with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)—have donated over 50 computers to the Academy of Engineering and Green Technology at Hartford Public High School. As members of the Academy’s advisory board, they are helping prepare Connecticut students for the demands of higher education and today’s high-tech workplace through partnerships between Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) member companies and urban schools.

The Academy of Engineering and Green Technology, which CBIA helped design with a startup grant of $89,900 from UTC, offers integrated academic and career training in engineering, environmental science, and advanced manufacturing for 400 students. The school combines a rigorous college prep curriculum with courses targeted to engineering, sustainable development, and manufacturing careers. It also focuses on developing students’ interpersonal and job readiness skills.

“For young people to succeed, schools must provide education that both engages students and is responsive to the needs of today’s employers,” says Judith Resnick, director of workforce development and training for CBIA and executive director of its Education Foundation. “Who better than our business community to express those needs and provide the right tools, mentors, and curriculum guidance?”

Connecticut Light & Power, a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities, donated 28 laptops to the Academy in time for students to use before the end of the 2008-2009 school year. “We're pleased to make this donation, to help these deserving Hartford students and support the communities we serve,” said Michael Ahern, vice president of Utility Services for NU.  

Representatives of Hamilton Sundstrand together with Computer Sciences Corporation delivered an additional 25 Dell laptops and fabric cases to the Academy early this morning, touring classrooms and labs and meeting with some of the school’s engineering students and faculty.

“Hamilton Sundstrand and CSC are donating these computers to help ensure a strong pipeline of engineers and scientists," said Lisa Szewczul, Hamilton Sundstrand Environment, Health & Safety vice president and advisory board chair for the Academy. “This donation furthers UTC’s support for the Academy and creates new opportunities for students in Greater Hartford.”

“Our students and teachers are very excited,” said Jacqueline Ryan, principal of the Academy, adding that the reconfigured laptops are faster and more efficient than new desktop models the schools had previously purchased. “For students who don’t have computers at home,” she adds, “these are an enormous benefit. The fact that they are portable also makes them very convenient for use in multiple classrooms. We’re grateful to CBIA and its member companies for equipping our classrooms with tools that better enable students to master some of the most critical workplace skills.”

For a high-resolution photo of Tuesday’s delivery of laptops, e-mail shelly.talley@cbia.com.

 

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CBIA is the state’s largest business organization, with 10,000 members.

 

For more information contact Nancy Andrews, CBIA media relations manager, at 860-244-1957 or andrewsn@cbia.com.

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