Stony Brook University received a $50,000 Innovation Generation grant from the Motorola Foundation to fund the TechPREP Program. “Due to a nationwide shortage of technology workers, particularly women, there is a need to introduce young women to technology fields early in their education,” says Carrie-Ann Miller the Director of Stony Brook’s Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program and Co-Director of TechPREP.
TechPREP is a multi-track program targeting 6th-8th grade female students, parents and school administrators in high needs school districts on Long Island. This consortium of Stony Brook University programs including The Liberty Partnerships, OPLITE, STEP and WISE, will deliver an integrated program encompassing mentoring, technology demonstrations, classroom instruction and overall awareness of engineering and computer technologies. Both The Liberty Partnerships and the Science and Technology Entry Program, (STEP) offer enrichment programs to students from high needs school districts. The Outreach Program for Long Island Technology Education, (OPLITE) was created in 2007 and is run by Scott Passeser, Director of Outreach for Stony Brook’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) and Judy Murrah, Director of IT for Motorola Corporation in Holtsville. OPLITE has some of the largest high tech companies in the world as partners including Motorola. OPLITE and its corporate partners sponsor an annual career fair and frequently visit Long Island schools to promote technology and engineering careers in both student and parent forums. Read more...