Computer Science and Engineering
A $30,000 one-year Innovation Generation grant from the Motorola Foundation will establish a Robocamp Mobile Unit and give UNT a new way to attract women to the engineering field. In add ition, a 2-year $102,000 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission will extend these camps to young men from under-represented groups, and train secondary school teachers and counselors how to mentor and support student interested in Engineering Careers. Both of these grants are the result of efforts by Dr Robert Akl and David Keathly in the Computer Science and Engineering Department. The TWC grant will also expand the existing CSEagle Ambassador and Mentor program which awards scholarships to Computer Science and Engineering students to assist with outreach and recruiting events, as well as to mentor incoming freshman students.
2008 will mark the fourth summer that UNT's Robocamp, a series of summer day camps for young women entering eighth through 11th grades, will be offered. This past summer, the camps were expanded to include an advanced Robocamp, a CSExperience computer programming camp and an Eng-inuity! engineering design camp. Attendees will get hands-on exposure to engineering and are able to hear from guest speakers who show the campers what they need to do now to prepare for a future in science and technology. The CSEagle Ambassador and Mentor program is entering it's third year. The camps for secondary school teachers and counselors will debut in 2008.
"Motorola strives to help young people make the critical connection between the cutting-edge technologies they enjoy every day and the educational foundation required to develop these cool products," says Eileen Sweeney, director of the Motorola Foundation. "Motorola's partnership with UNT's Robocamp Mobile Unit helps inspire a love of science by providing real-world experience and access to expert role models for young people around the nation."
Oscar Garcia, Founding Dean of the College of Engineering, is excited about the possibilities of the "Robocamp Mobile Unit." He says, "Motorola's significant grant to our Mobile Robocamp effort is a tribute to the corporate appreciation of the motivational value that the summer camp has among young high school and middle school female students. They see technology as a live action accessible endeavor which is within their reach and capabilities, as it should be. It is also a tribute to the faculty members who contribute their time and efforts to this project."
