Georgia State Gets $300,000 Grant to Boost Technology Education, Increase Participation in Field by Underrepresented Students
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ATLANTA—Georgia State University has received a $300,000 Digital Economy Initiative grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in collaboration with Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility to encourage students, particularly students from backgrounds underrepresented in the technology industry, to pursue technology studies.
Georgia State is one of the first grant recipients of Cisco’s Digital Economy Initiative. The three-year grant will fund a program to encourage students to use digitization and the “Internet of things” to create solutions for the challenges facing urban communities. The Internet of things is the growing range of everyday objects that gather data using sensors and communicate using the Internet.
“In today’s connected world, it’s critically important that students from all disciplines gain experience solving real problems and developing digital solutions,” said Phil Ventimiglia, chief innovation officer at Georgia State. “This program will increase exposure to emerging technologies for all participants, while cultivating excitement for pursuing technology in greater depth and encouraging the technology-enabled inventors of the future.”
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) will lead the new Digital Learners to Leaders program, which will bring together high school students with students seeking two-year and four-year degrees to explore challenges posed by Atlanta’s education, business, government and non-profit community. Participants will grow their digital skills through workshops, online activities, mobile makerspaces, summer camps, an annual conference and internships.
“As technology transforms the way we live and work,” said Tae Yoo, senior vice president of Cisco Corporate Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility, “Cisco believes educational institutions and organizations focused on emerging entrepreneurs can be a powerful force for change for local economic development. Public universities such as Georgia State University not only have the capacity to meet industry demand for a digitally skilled workforce in the Atlanta area, but also play a leading role in shaping entirely new ideas and industries to fuel the local economy and create the jobs of the future.”
Tiffany Green-Abdullah, manager of learning community development at CETL, is the program director for the grant. Jackie Slaton, learning resource development specialist at CETL, is associate director.