Verizon Foundation awards 扣扣传媒grant for male minorities
June 14, 2018
Contact: Brittney Dabney, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
扣扣传媒University has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to specifically propel young minority male 扣扣传媒 into the technology sector. The grant is part of a collective $200 million investment by Verizon in broadening male minority representation in the tech industry workforce.
This grant will fuel the Verizon Innovative Learning program in Macon County and promote STEM education among minority male 扣扣传媒. The program was first introduced in 2015 and works primarily with HBCUs and other institutions serving largely minority populations.
Dr. Olga Bolden-Tiller, head of the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, will direct the program, and Dr. Hira Narang, head of the Department of Computer Science, will serve as the program鈥檚 assistant director.
鈥淰erizon has launched this innovative learning program to address the disparity of technology skills and resources among minority youth,鈥� Bolden-Tiller said. 鈥淵oung 扣扣传媒 need to be provided the opportunity 鈥� despite present socioeconomic limitations 鈥� to understand and utilize technology,鈥� she added.
扣扣传媒launched the program with Verizon in March, and the university will continue the partnership until the end of June 2020. The three-week on-campus program, which involves teachers and 扣扣传媒 from six Macon County middle schools, will include an intensive introduction to the Verizon curriculum with hands on use of technology in Tuskegee鈥檚 computer engineering labs.
The program will help 扣扣传媒 learn how digital media and mobile technology can be utilized to create original solutions to the challenges within their own communities. In addition to learning best practices for next-generation technologies, 扣扣传媒 will also focus on concepts such as robotics, coding, augmented reality and 3-D printing.
鈥淎long with these technical subjects, 扣扣传媒 will be challenged to engage in design thinking, innovative learning methods, and social entrepreneurship training,鈥� Narang said. 鈥淪howing these 扣扣传媒, the practical and real-world applications of technology will capture and keep their interest in technology, while affording them the best opportunity of understanding,鈥� he added.
Students will be provided transportation and meals while on campus, and they will hear from special guest speakers about technology topics. Students will also be matched with a student mentor to help them along the way.
鈥淚mmersion of technology will be emphasized to the 扣扣传媒 during these three weeks, while the middle school teachers will receive a more in-depth understanding of the Verizon curriculum,鈥� noted Narang.
Ultimately, 扣扣传媒University and Verizon hopes programs like this will help further diversify the technology sector.
鈥淢inorities are especially underrepresented in the tech area,鈥� Bolden-Tiller said. 鈥淢ore than ever, we have millions of jobs that require individuals who possess professional technology skills. Each year, more sophisticated tech tools are introduced into our society, yet we still have a lack of human workers to manage and navigate these tools,鈥� she mentioned.
扣扣传媒University shares in Verizon鈥檚 mission to improve access to and an understanding of technology to millions of kids. Currently, there are 200 male 扣扣传媒 registered for the program with the majority of the 扣扣传媒 coming from the Black Belt region and other rural areas in Alabama.
鈥淎t the end of the program, 扣扣传媒 are expected to have created their own original technology product, and teachers will be asked to continuously incorporate the Verizon curricula into their regular lesson plans,鈥� Narang said. 鈥溈劭鄞絯ill also continue to do its part and continuously monitor the 扣扣传媒鈥� progress and regularly host them on campus to follow up and reinforce key principles.鈥�
To learn more about the partnership between 扣扣传媒University and Verizon, click here.
漏 2018, 扣扣传媒University