TI Foundation approves three grants aimed at math/science
education
Rich Templeton, TI CEO, spoke to UT Dallas engineering students and faculty recently during a day-long visit to the school. |
The TI Foundation (TIF) recently approved three new grants,
all aimed at providing knowledge, skills and programs
that enhance math and science education.
The University of Texas at Dallas
The TIF approved a grant of $332,400 to the University
of Texas at Dallas (UTD) over a three year period to create
a “TI Science & Technology Innovation
Fund”. The fund will support innovation and entrepreneurial
development camps for high school juniors and seniors
to increase interest in careers in science and technology.
It will also provide scholarships to UT Dallas engineering
and science students who take entrepreneurship courses.
“There is a great story of collaboration unfolding at UT Dallas which I believe will yield tremendous value for this region and has been greatly facilitated by the TI Foundation’s grant,” said Steve Lyle, TI director of Human Resources Shared Services and chairman of the industry advisory board for UT Dallas’s School of Management (SOM).
“The collaboration between the schools of Management and Engineering has never been better and more aligned with the vision of UT Dallas as a whole,” Lyle said. “This alignment and collaboration will promote economic growth in the region by turning research into valuable products and services and by delivering a talented labor pool of engineers and technologists that are also managers, leaders, and entrepreneurs.”
To date, the relationship between the university’s SOM and the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) has yielded a joint degree program where a student can obtain dual master’s degrees in Electronical Engineering and Management. Also, students earning a bachelor of science in Electrical Engineering can earn credits towards an MBA program.
The other significant point of collaboration is the creation of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UT Dallas. Founded in 2005, IIE serves all seven schools of the university to advance innovation and entrepreneurial activities in the artistic, social, scientific and commercial arenas. This grant will further the work of the Institute by helping to create a pipeline of future talent that can help propel the community to the next level of technological innovation.
Building tomorrow’s workforce through higher education has been a commitment of TI’s for more than 60 years. TI works to develop partnerships and programs, contribute financial resources, offer expertise and donate equipment — all with the specific goal to make higher education — particularly education focused on engineering, math and science — better and more accessible. TI's efforts reach the top engineering university programs around the world. In the past 10 years, TI and the TI Foundation have made grants totaling more than $75 million to colleges and universities.
The School of Management, the largest of the university’s seven schools, maintains an intense focus on engineering and management. It addresses the challenges of today’s technology-driven global society by providing cutting edge programs based on extensive research to meet the needs of tomorrow's industry for the betterment of society. The school’s Full-Time
MBA program ranks 26th among public schools of business and 53rd overall, according to US News World Report. Financial Times ranks the research productivity of the SOM faculty 20th worldwide and it ranks the executive MBA 1st in Texas and tied for 10th in the US.
The ECS seeks to deliver world-class education and research that provides a competitive edge to the community that inspires the pursuit, creation and dissemination of knowledge for the greater good of society. The Jonsson School, named after TI founder, J. Erik Jonsson, is ranked 47th among public universities and77th overall, according to US News World Report.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
The TIF also approved $50,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of North Texas to fund programs for 40 seventh and eighth grade students in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) who are enrolled in the BBBS/TI pilot program: Math and Science Mentoring Initiatives. Each student will receive scholarships for math/science tutoring as well as fairs or camp fees. The funding will also provide year-long support and training for each student’s mentoring match.
"We are pleased to help fund a program like Math
and Science Mentoring Initiatives because it will have
a powerful impact on youth by fostering academic success
in math and science," said Beth Bull, TI vice president
and BBBS board member. "Through the efforts of our employees
as mentors, many children have shown marked improvements
in their capabilities."
The program was created to foster involvement in and appreciation for math and science among seventh and eighth graders in DISD. By heightening interest in the fields of math and science, the initiative will also increase the likelihood of these students reaching high school graduation and help recruit volunteer mentors among math and science professionals.
TI has a longtime and significant partnership with BBBS with 65 TI employees volunteering as mentors with the organization over the past three years.
Advanced Placement Physics Camp
The TIF will donate $50,000 to Advanced Placement Strategies, Inc. to provide funding for a two-week summer physics program for up to 60 female students in the Dallas ISD. The camp’s goal is to help girls gain the skills necessary for success in Advanced Placement (AP) physics courses. Offering an emphasis on exciting physics demonstrations and familiarizing girls with lab equipment in a fun setting, the program provides personal connections with the Women of TI and former AP Physics students. It is hoped that this enrichment program will increase enrollment of girls in AP Physics and increase the passing rate of girls on the AP exam.
In 2000-2002, Dallas ISD girls had an AP Physics pass rate 30 percent below the boys (12 percent vs. 42 percent). As a result of this camp, more girls have participated in the AP Physics exam (57 in 2000 vs. 132 in 2007), more have passed the exam and of the girls who attended the camp and had teachers who used Gender
Equity practices passed the exam at the same rate as boys (60 percent in 2006).
“This grant will help girls develop the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills and attitudes necessary to make them successful in Advanced Placement physics courses,” said Melendy Lovett, president, TI’s Education Technology business. “We are excited that this camp ultimately helps to produce more women who are confident in their science ability and are better prepared to enter into STEM disciplines.”
Studies of successful women have found that many of them attribute their success or their persistence in their field to a personal relationship with a teacher or mentor early in life. Early exposure to rigorous science concepts can impact a girl's decision whether or not to take a second year of high school science or attempt an AP course.
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