Tech Citizenship
2009
Read the first Tech Citizenship profile »
Citizenship has a face
For years, education reform has been about fingerpointing: Industry groups curse “the system,” administrators blame teachers unions, teachers criticize politicians. We yack about test scores, then complain about teaching to the test. We harangue about marketable skills, and everyone seems to envy India. What are we forgetting in all this blather? The kids.
The kid next door isn’t a statistic to be viewed as an undirected soul because she hasn’t committed to a lifelong career in technology. She is someone who needs to be at the same time nurtured, taught, enabled, guided and allowed to evolve. Yes, systemic changes and new laws are part of this process. However, there also is a need to reach out to our young people as individuals. And that’s what, in many ways, the 24 companies profiled in this issue do. A key component in our annual TechCitizenship awards program is how tech companies give back to the community through education initiatives.
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The Dimock Center helps Boston’s residents—and many tech citizenship firms help the center
If there is a single entity that best encompasses the gamut of corporate giving that Mass High Tech has honored for the past 10 years, it just might be The Dimock Center.
The Dimock Center is a multipurpose community institution that serves the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain and Roslindale. In that one operation can be found a health center, a community care center, a child-and-family development center and an adult-education center.
Roy Temper, VP of development, FIRST
Tech philanthropy holds its course
“The real vision that corporations and businesses understand is, we need to produce smart kids who will help move this nation forward.” That’s how Roy Temper, vice president of development of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics competition, makes a connection between the corporate world and education.
New England tech companies are ramping up contributions to educational programs and sending troops of volunteers to schools and on initiatives. Some leaders at organizations on the receiving end of that charity shared their thoughts on what the donations and volunteerism have meant to them.
“It’s the emphasis from Washington on STEM education,” said Temper, referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. FIRST is a national nonprofit based in Manchester, N.H., founded in 1989 by Segway inventor Dean Kamen. FIRST sponsors nationwide competitions in robotics and technology for students from age six through high school. FIRST relies chiefly on corporations for sponsorship, including Parametric Technology Corp. of Needham. PTC and its resellers, partners and customers sponsor 55 FIRST teams, donating both high-end product development software and mentorship.
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Jessica Roy, senior programmer/analyst, Medical Information Technology
In-class program boosts ‘STEM’ awareness through volunteer corps
In the latest organized effort to boost the level of student participation in science, technology, engineering and math in the Bay State, it ultimately comes down to—as do most things—the people involved. In the case of the newly launched DIGITS program developed by the STEMTech Alliance, a consortium of tech industry groups, that means volunteers from member companies.
When her manager approached her about volunteering for the DIGITS pilot program last summer, Jessica Roy, a senior programmer/analyst for Westwood-based Medical Information Technology Inc., thought it would be interesting.
“My manager called me out of the blue one day and said, ‘So how are you with working with sixth-graders?’” Roy said.
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Industry, government, academia make work force strides
Do good and you will do well. Many tech companies have been following this practice by being good corporate citizens in the education arena. Some target this sector for strategic reasons, others because their employees want to make sure their children are well educated, and some want to “give back” to the institutions that made them successful. The reality is that tech employers and venture investors need a strong pipeline of new talent in order to launch and grow their enterprises. This pipeline starts in the K-12 education system and continues on at the college level. How these educational institutions prepare and interest students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is of vital concern for tech employers, in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
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A hub for using technology for the social good
Once a month, the Technobabes get together for a dinner out. There might be martinis or the occasional discussion about shoes. But the main focus of the group is to talk about using technology to do good. The group’s listserv includes 50 tech-savvy women who either work for, or consult with, nonprofit organizations.
“The executive director of a nonprofit is usually an expert at keeping opera alive, or advocating for social justice, or advancing medical research. But she isn’t usually an expert on harnessing technology to help the organization,” says Deborah Elizabeth Finn, who launched the group casually several years ago. Finn is a consultant who helps nonprofits move forward with their technology systems. She said there was a need for a women’s nonprofit tech group because “much more than half of the nonprofit workforce is women, but the IT departments are dominated by men,” Finn said.
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Connie Chow, executive director, Science Club for Girls
STEM education for girls grows beyond school boundaries
Seventy five percent of Nobel laureates in science first encountered the lure and power of discovery outside of school hours. But what about all the latent scientists and engineers who may not have ready access to the outdoors, to books, equipment and materials at home or at school, or who may not have parents or adults to provide encouragement and stoke their imagination about possible careers?
We applaud the creation of the Governor’s STEM Council to increase the interest and proficiency of Massachusetts’ students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. To ensure that the Commonwealth remains an engine of innovation and discovery, the council must adopt what the National Research Council calls an expansive view of “systematic educational reform.” This means recognizing the contributions and synergies of school and out-of-school experiences, including the family and community.
Continue reading STEM education for girls grows beyond school boundaries »
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