TechPoint Foundation for Youth is pleased to announce its plans to pilot a collaborative STEM space for Central Indiana.

TechPoint Foundation for Youth (TPF4Y) is a nonprofit venture philanthropic organization with the mission to inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) leaders among Indiana’s underserved youth populations. Since its founding 11 years ago, TPF4Y has been connecting human and financial capital to programs that are truly changing the life and career trajectories of thousands of Indiana youth.

“We believe Indiana is a great state filled with amazing students, who given the right resources, can become our country’s next generation of STEM leaders and innovators,” said Laura Dodds, Executive Director of TechPoint Foundation for Youth.

Together, with the support of IndianaFIRST, Indianapolis Mayor Gregory A. Ballard, the Schools of Science and Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, Ivy Tech Community College, Interactive Intelligence Foundation, The Indianapolis Foundation and others, TPF4Y is announcing a request for partners. Partners are needed to provide a variety of resources including both the human and financial capital necessary to pilot this collaborative STEM space in Central Indiana.

The currently unnamed “STEM Collaboratory” will be a safe, supportive, innovative forum where Indianapolis students will acquire real-world knowledge, skills and experience through the exploration of hands-on STEM programming. Students from kindergarten-to-twelfth (K-12) grade will participate in a variety of year-round activities facilitated by leading STEM program providers including TPF4Y’s flagship program, IndianaFIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics.

“Robotics teams are an innovative, effective way that schools across the country have begun to engage students in learning and applying STEM skills,” said Mayor Ballard. “In 2013, the City of Indianapolis will host the inaugural Indianapolis Robotics Championship. Every high school in Marion County has been invited to participate in this tournament. Together, with the support of partners like TechPoint Foundation for Youth, we are creating a climate in Indianapolis where accomplishments in academics is celebrated.”

Central Indiana professionals working in STEM careers, STEM faculty, and post-secondary STEM students will volunteer their time to provide the technical and mentoring support. Many of these partners have already committed to this project. This pipeline of STEM mentoring, from future college recruits and current college students, to professionals in the field, provides a unique partnership opportunity for local schools, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, businesses, professional organizations, and city government to work together to impact the workforce development needs of our state.

Those interested in learning more about partnership opportunities with the STEM Collaboratory are urged to read more under the News & Events Tab at www.techpointyouth.org and contact Laura Dodds, Executive Director of TPF4Y @ laura@techpointyouth.org.

About TechPoint Foundation For Youth: (http://techpointyouth.org/)
TPF4Y is a venture philanthropy organization, incubating select science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) programs that have the potential for high student impact in the state.

TPF4Y invests human and financial resources, coupled with the resources of corporate and individual partners, in programs equipping students with the skills needed to meet the state’s STEM workforce demands. The Foundation works closely with its grantees over a multi-year period to help them build capacity, scale statewide, and ultimately increase their reach to underserved student populations. Grantee projects are called Greenhouse Initiatives.

Over the past decade, TPF4Y has successfully incubated and launched two significant Greenhouse Initiatives, Net Literacy and New Tech High @ Arsenal, announcing its third in 2011, IndianaFIRST.

About the Indianapolis Robotics Competition (IRC):
In 2013, the City of Indianapolis will host a citywide robotics competition. This two-day event, to be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse the weekend of January 19th and 20th, will expose students to the excitement of competitive robotics, inspiring many to continue on with other higher-level robotics programming and ideally, STEM career pathways. The IRC will introduce students to robotics using the VEX Robotics Design System. Students, with guidance from their teachers and mentors, will aim to build the most innovative robots possible while working together as a team to obtain the most points during the competition. For more information on participating or supporting the IRC please contact Jeff Roeder, Deputy Chief of Staff, at Jeff.Roeder@indy.gov.

Name: Laura Dodds
Company: TechPoint Foundation for Youth
E-mail: Laura@techpointyouth.org
City: Indianapolis
State: Indiana