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Sun Microsystems Foundation, Inc.
The Sun Foundation donates dollars to provide access to academic enrichment programs for low-income and under represented students. Through the Sun Foundation's Summer Academic Enrichment Program, cash grants have been awarded to non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area, Denver Metro Area, California Bay Area, and U.K. (Scotland, England). The grant recipients' innovative programs help youth develop skills through hands-on collaborative learning. Additionally, the programs encourage students to pursue further studies in math, science, technology and engineering. The Sun Foundation's educational grants support the early development of talent necessary to meet the high-tech workforce needs of the future.
Summer Academic Enrichment Grants FY '03
In June 2003, the Sun Foundation donated $170,000 to provide access to academic enrichment programs for low-income and under represented students. Through the Sun Foundation's Summer Academic Enrichment Program, cash grants were individually awarded to seventeen non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area, Denver Metro Area, California Bay Area, and U.K. (Scotland, England). The grant recipients' innovative programs help youth develop skills through hands-on collaborative learning. Additionally, the programs encourage students to pursue further studies in math, science, technology and engineering. The Sun Foundation's educational grants support the early development of talent necessary to meet the high-tech workforce needs of the future.
Sun Foundation Summer Academic Enrichment Grant Recipients
Girls For A Change, San Jose, CA
Girls For A Change's program is designed to help over one thousand girls become critical thinkers, innovators and leaders. Urban middle and high school girls from low-income families participate in Girl Action Teams that meet twice a month to identify challenges in their communities and design, plan and implement solutions with the help of women coaches.
InternalDrive Foundation, Campbell, CA
InternalDrive supports several programs to help bridge the "digital divide," engage girls in technology and provide quality technology training to educators. The Sun grant helped to fund the Hands-On Tech Outreach Program, a summer computer camp in Santa Clara. Students ages 10 to 17 from low-income and minority backgrounds learn either Web Design & Multimedia or Digital Video & Movie Production—all using state-of-the-art hardware and industry standard software. For more information, see the article in the San Jose Mercury News.
Urban Service YMCA (Bay View Hunter's Point Beacon Center), San Francisco, CA
A Digital Build Project offers ethnic and gender minority youth a class in which they will build operable personal computers. The Digital Build Project harvests personal computer parts from PC salvage facilities in the neighborhood and makes these parts available to the 20 students who enroll in this 56-hour course. Students receive instruction on the theories governing PC operations while learning to build operable PCs. At the completion of the project, students will be able to take their machines home.
The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose, CA
The Tech Museum's 2003 summer camp program offers 48 classes with 11 different curriculums for children ages nine to 13. All of the classes are designed to deepen interests in science and technology in a fun, hands-on way. One of the most popular classes, called Hollywood Stars, teaches children how to create a storyboard and script and direct a short movie, using cutting-edge technology to record and edit their masterpieces.
Zeum, San Francisco, CA
Zeum is a museum that provides hands-on exhibits designed for children of all ages. Zeum also runs a summer camp program for Bay Area youth. Workshops throughout the summer give children an opportunity to use their imagination to create websites, clay animations, digital movies and more. The purpose of the program is to spark enthusiasm and develop skills that will be relevant to future success in the classroom and beyond.
Youth Lead, San Mateo, CA
Youth Lead used the Sun Foundation grant to send 10 under-privileged middle school girls to Sally Ride Girls Science Academy, an overnight science camp to support girls who are interested in science, math and technology. The camp, held at Stanford University, offers expert instruction in astronomy, structural engineering and bio-engineering to girls entering sixth through ninth grade.
Boston University College of Engineering Summer DESIGNCAMP, Boston, MA
DESIGNCAMP's engineering design program engages students in grades six through nine in the actual work of scientists and engineers. Students improve their critical thinking skills and problem solving abilities through hands-on experimentation and exploration in the laboratories of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering housed on the Boston University campus. The Sun Foundation grant helped 80 inner city students participate in this program.
WiredWoods, Waltham, MA
WiredWoods' mission is to spark a life-long interest in technology among at-risk children and empower them to succeed in today's digital age. WiredWoods offers a free summer program to youth in the greater Boston area to teach them to build websites and to communicate creatively through digital imagery. On the first day of WiredWoods summer camp, students go on a nature photo scavenger hunt with digital cameras, then they return to the WiredWoods studio daily to build personal websites.
UMass Lowell Summer DESIGNCAMP, Lowell, MA
360 students from grades six through nine will participate in DESIGNCAMP this summer to improve their critical thinking and problem solving skills. At DESIGNCAMP, the students will be engaged in hands-on science and engineering experiments that teach real-world skills needed for success in technical careers.
MATCH School programs, Boston, MA
The MATCH School Summer Technology Program is a new program that will provide hands-on learning in science and technology for 30 students in grades nine to 11. Students receive one-on-one tutoring from college students at MIT or Emmerson College.
University of Colorado at Boulder, College of Engineering, Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, CO
Sun Foundation's grant supported a six-week, "Girls Embrace Technology" high school internship program. High school girls participated in a "job-like" experience, exploring their potential for careers in engineering and technology as they collaboratively developed educational interactive multimedia software.
Wired Girls Program, YWCA of Boulder County, CO
With a grant from Sun, the Y offered it's popular "Wired Girls" program in collaboration with Casey Middle School, Boulder's only bilingual middle school. Girls met every day for two weeks to learn how to access the Internet, use e-mail and browsers, and access girl-friendly websites. Additionally, women in technology fields served as electronic "telementors" to the girls.
University of Colorado at Denver, College of Engineering, Science of Musical Instruments Program, CO
Students build their own electric guitar while simultaneously discussing/teaching the physics behind the guitar. The program targets urban high school students who are disenfranchised from school, but are bright, interested in music, and have the potential to be good in math and science.
Centaurus High School, Pre-Engineering Program, CO
This grant will support the participation of high school and middle school girls in a series of collaborative summer engineering workshops. The workshop series will provide a broad range of engineering exploration for the students, including the opportunity to experience real-world engineering at the University of CO.
University of Denver, Department of Engineering, The Making of an Engineer Program, CO
High school students from the Western U.S. are recruited to participate in this three-week program. Conducted on DU's campus, the college-level course introduces students to the creation, development, use, and societal need for technology. Relatively high percentages of females (39%) and minorities (67%) participate in this award-winning program.
Front Range Community College, Hands-On Science Institute, CO
The Science Institute provides elementary and middle school teachers from across the U.S. new skills to make science more stimulating and meaningful in their classrooms. Teachers immediately practice these skills by running science demonstrations and other activities for middle school children in the Institute's science camp.
Edinburgh Mediabase, Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh Mediabase provides access and instruction in film, video and new media for under represented and disadvantaged sections of the community. Encouraging young people to speak out on matters that affect them, Mediabase empowers them to draw an adult member of the public into dialogue with them through the use of film. Mediabase also runs script award competitions and provides information about finding careers in the technology and creative industries.
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