JACKSON, Miss., July 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Much attention
has been paid to the importance of engaging girls in STEM (science,
technology, engineering and math), but little is said about the
promise it has for young, African-American boys. Research shows
that African-American men remain one of the most underrepresented
groups in science and engineering careers.
The Minority Male Makers Program, developed nationally by
Verizon, is a two-year program equipping more than 700 minority
middle school boys across the country with high level skills – from
3D design to app development. The program, which completed its
first phase at Jackson State University
on July 10 with 25 students and 15
educators, addresses the underrepresentation of minority men in
STEM fields and steps to close the gaps.
JSU is one of four leading Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) in the nation directing this pioneering
program, which instructs students five days per week during
intensive, eight-hour per day technology classes on campus
throughout the summer.
"We are fortunate to have the program, and we are the first one
out of the gate. Verizon is helping JSU leverage its resources to
bolster student performance," said Dr. Ayanna Gill, coordinator for Blackburn
Laboratory Middle School. Furthermore, she said, the program gives
every young student an opportunity to think innovatively and
creatively impact future generations. Gill is also the principal
investigator for the Minority Male Makers Verizon grant.
Dr. Kamal Ali, chair of the
Industrial Systems Technology Department at JSU, said, "Students in
the Minority Male Makers performed admirably. They learned how to
develop apps, came up with their own ideas and created solid 3D
objects on the computer. It was amazing how quickly they caught on.
Because the curriculum developed for them was finished in half the
time, we had to redesign it. Overall, the seventh graders proved
that the younger you are the more capable you are at handling
technology."
Among innovations by Blackburn Middle School students were apps
to gauge the distance of school buses for morning pickups and
tracking potholes throughout the city.
Each university's curriculum is distinct, fostering skills and
positive attitudes. Curriculums are designed to boost curiosity,
creative problem solving and confidence while increasing
opportunities such as college, high-paying careers and
entrepreneurship.
"Verizon's Minority Male Makers program is helping young men
cultivate new abilities through extensive instruction in creating
and designing apps and 3D objects while strengthening their math
and science skills," said Krista
Bourne, president – Houston/Gulf Coast Region, Verizon Wireless.
"As a leader in the technology industry, Verizon is proud to offer
these students the opportunity to learn lifelong skills and develop
the foundation they need to become engineers, software developers,
researchers, teachers and physicists."
Of the 100 participating students at Jackson State University, all are eligible for
federal free or reduced lunch program. The students are also
mentored by minority college men in collaboration with the National
CARES Mentoring Movement. Dedicated to recruiting and connecting
mentors with local youth-serving and mentoring organizations to
guide minority youth to academic and social success, CARES creates
relationships that will help students envision what their own
future might look like.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the
nation's largest and most reliable 4G LTE network. As the
largest wireless company in the U.S., Verizon Wireless serves 103.3
million retail customers, including 97.3 million retail postpaid
customers. Verizon Wireless is wholly owned by Verizon
Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ). For more information,
visit www.verizonwireless.com. For the latest news and
updates about Verizon Wireless, visit our News Center at
http://www.verizonwireless.com/news or follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/VZWNews.
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SOURCE Verizon Wireless