For Immediate Release
Sept. 2, 2009

 

CBIA RECEIVES $1.2 MILLION GRANT TO INCREASE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

The National Science Foundation has awarded the Connecticut Business & Industry Association’s Education Foundation a three-year $1.2 million grant to increase innovative technology experiences for teachers and students (ITEST).

CBIA will use the grant to engage and motivate 9th and 10th grade students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM subjects) in Project Opening Doors (POD) schools. POD is CBIA’s program to increase the number of underrepresented students taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes in math, science and English, preparing them to succeed in post-secondary education or employment after high school.  

“We are very excited to receive this grant and be a part of the solution to close the achievement gap and increase the number of students prepared for high-tech jobs in Connecticut,” said Judith K. Resnick, executive director of the CBIA Education Foundation.

Resnick added that the grant was highly competitive, with CBIA receiving one of 35 awarded out of 254 proposals nationally.

CBIA will work with the Connecticut Science Center and industry partners to expose students to cutting-edge technologies, industry issues, and role models, in order to motivate and excite them about future careers in the sciences. Using technology, students from participating schools will work on problems together and present them at the Science Center, to a wider audience.

Particular emphasis will be put on preparing students for future enrollment in AP math, science and English classes, with more rigorous coursework to prepare them for college-level work upon graduation. EASTCONN, one of the state’s five Regional Education Service Centers will provide faculty professional development on technology tools and develop “How Cool Is This? Cyber-Challenge,” a student learning activity across schools.

The program will provide teachers and students with access to resources at the Connecticut Science Center and to CBIA member companies’ sponsored exhibits at the center. Companies actively participating in the grant include Pfizer, United Technologies Corp., Northeast Utilities Inc., and General Electric.

“As the largest science and technology-based employers in Connecticut, these companies have a genuine interest in the development of the next generation of scientists and engineers and have pledged to work with us to expose students to STEM careers in their high-tech, high-skill industries,” said Lauren Weisberg Kaufman, a consultant and former vice president of education and job training at CBIA. Kaufman will lead this initiative with Dr. Cam Vautour, president of CBIA’s POD, and Karen Wosczyna-Birch, executive director of the Connecticut Community College’s College of Technology. 

Partners in the grant include school districts participating in POD, CBIA’s National Math & Science AP Initiative, the Connecticut Science Center, the Connecticut State Department of Education, the College of Technology, and Central Connecticut State University.

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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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