WASHINGTON, May 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon has
teamed up with the National Geographic Society to help support the
tenth annual National Parks BioBlitz and Biodiversity Festival
event in Washington, D.C., on
May 20-21. This event engages
scientists, students and the general public in a two-day race to
count as many species of plants and animals as possible and better
appreciate the dynamic culture of many national parks across the
region.
In addition to providing a $90,000
Verizon Foundation grant, the company is loaning over 400 connected
tablets and 4G LTE Jetpack Mobile Hotspots powered by Verizon's 4G
LTE wireless network. Student scientists will use the devices to
instantly document and share their discoveries online using the
iNaturalist app to photograph, identify and map their observations
over the two-day period.
"Verizon is proud to once again partner with the National Park
Service and National Geographic on BioBlitz," said Roger Tang, president – South East Market,
Verizon Wireless. "This wonderful event is part scientific
endeavor, part outdoor classroom excursion and part celebration of
biodiversity and culture. It's also a perfect place to demonstrate
true mobile technology in education."
Verizon is focused on improving student engagement and
achievement in STEM, and views mobile technology as a powerful tool
to foster individualized learning environments and higher
achievement. The company also supports a number of STEM educational
initiatives, including the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools
(VILS) program, the Verizon Mobile Learning Academy and the Verizon
Innovative App Challenge.
About the Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation
is focused on accelerating social change by using the company's
innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education,
healthcare and energy management. Since 2000, the Verizon
Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve
the communities where Verizon employees work and
live. Verizon's employees are generous with their donations
and their time, having logged more than 6.8 million hours of
service to make a positive difference in their communities.
For more information about Verizon's philanthropic work,
visit www.verizon.com/about/responsibility; or for
regular updates, visit Facebook
(www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter
(www.twitter.com/verizongiving).
Verizon's Online News Center: Verizon news releases, executive
speeches and biographies, media contacts and other information are
available at Verizon's online News Center at www.verizon.com/news/.
News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe,
visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.
Media contact:
Kate Jay
678-339-4828
Kate.Jay@vzw.com
Albin Sikora
202-585-2727
asikora@powelltate.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verizon-helps-connect-thousands-of-students-to-nature-at-washington-dc-area-national-parks-during-bioblitz-2016-300272588.html
SOURCE Verizon