The Indiana statehouse was turned into a giant computer science lab on Tuesday as Governor Eric Holcomb, AT&T Indiana President Bill Soards, Infosys Foundation USA Chairperson Kaustav Mitra, Indiana University First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie, and Karen Jung and Scott Dorsey of Nextech all welcomed students from local grade schools and their high school-aged coding helpers to Hour of Code Indiana.
The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. Anyone, anywhere can organize an Hour of Code event. One-hour tutorials are available in over 45 languages. No experience needed. Ages 4 to 104. A grand total of 131,402 events were registered on planet Earth for Hour of Code 2017.
The point of Hour of Code, which may be the largest global education program ever conceived, is a great way to introduce young people to computer science and coding so that is it less mysterious, and they will have some familiarity with computer science as a possible career choice as they advance to the all-important middle school years, when career choices are solidified and pursued.
Governor Holcomb Tweeted his appreciation for the help and dedication of named partners like Infosys, AT&T, Indiana University, Nextech, and others in the community who are helping to drive technical fields and STEM education forward.
It takes teamwork to get Indiana ready for the future and to take our state to the #NextLevel. We’ve got great teammates with @nextech, @ATTIndiana, @IUBloomington and so many more that help out on the #HourofCode! pic.twitter.com/HHiBweuRZX
— Eric Holcomb (@GovHolcomb) December 5, 2017
Kaustav Mitra, chairperson of Infosys Foundation USA, took the opportunity during today’s Hour of Code event to announce the Foundation’s Pathfinder’s Summer Institute — a program designed to address “one of the biggest gaps” in education. Pathfinders Summer Institute will bring more than 1,000 K-12 teachers from throughout the United States to Indiana University in Bloomington for computer science training. He says participants’ tuition, travel and boarding will be paid for through foundation money, matching district funds and crowdfunding efforts.
Infosys (NYSE: INFY) announced plans in May this year to create up to 2,000 jobs at a new hub in Indianapolis, which will be located in the One America building downtown. You can find more information about the Pathfinder’s Summer Institute here.
Visit the Hour of Code website for more information or to sign up for newsletters and guides for how to get involved and host an Hour of Code event for next year.