Upload
chris-rhoads
View
217
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
7/29/2019 ALC Pilot Announcement - Feb 20 2013
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/alc-pilot-announcement-feb-20-2013 1/3
Headline:
Microsoft Research and The America21 Project Partnering to Put Urban Focus on STEM, Technology
Description:
On Feb. 20, Microsoft Research, in conjunction with The America21 Project, announced the three pilot
cities for the Activate Local Communities Across America Initiative: Chicago; Portland, Ore.; andCambridge, Mass.
Credit:
Posted by Rob Knies
Post:
On Feb. 20, Microsoft Research, in conjunction with The America21 Project, announced the three pilot
cities for the Activate Local Communities Across America Initiative (ALC): Chicago, Portland, Ore. and
Cambridge, Mass.
The ALC, which grew out of a challenge last summer from the White House Office of Science andTechnology Policy and was featured Jan. 31 during the White House Tech Inclusion Summit, focuses on
making America’s cities vibrant, inclusive centers of urban innovation and entrepreneurship that can
connect talent from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students in diverse
communities to the economic opportunities of the 21st century.
“The nation's tech economy is thriving, and Chicago is leading the way—we are seeing unprecedented
growth, from established international corporations to startups designed by our own residents,” Mayor
Rahm Emanuel said. “In order to support this vital industry and open up doors for our children to
succeed in this dynamic sector, city governments must be nimble. We established the city’s first
Technology Diversity Council because collaboration is key to creating opportunity for all in thetechnology economy, today and in the future. With new collaboration with Microsoft, we look forward
to what we can learn from other cities and to providing insights into our successes that can serve as a
road map for years to come.”
The pilot programs are leaders in forging public-private collaborations to encourage the growth of
diverse opportunities in their cities’ technology sectors, and the pilots are making strides in increasing
access to STEM education opportunities to expand access to the technology economy in the future. They
were selected for diversity of geography, population, and industry. The pilots will last for approximately
six months, although their impact will be felt far longer. During the programs, questions of infrastructure
and effective public-private partnerships will be addressed, and by the time the pilots are complete,
their combined experiences should provide a road map for any city in the country that wants to
replicate the work. America21 will then work with the pilot cities to extend their programs—and assist
other cities interested in participating.
“America21 is proud to partner with Microsoft in the Activating Local Communities initiative,” said Chad
Womack, founder of Amerca21 and co-chair of the initiative, along with Rane Johnson-Stempson of
Microsoft Research Connections. “We are ready to work with local stakeholders in both the public and
7/29/2019 ALC Pilot Announcement - Feb 20 2013
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/alc-pilot-announcement-feb-20-2013 2/3
private sectors to ensure that the Activating Local Communities initiative yields sustainable results in
both the pilot cities and future innovation communities across the country.”
Johnson-Stempson, director of Education and Scholarly Communication for Microsoft Research
Connections, explains the motivation behind the ALC effort.
“One of the biggest challenges in growing the pipeline of students in computing, especially women and
under-represented minorities, is the lack of awareness of computing careers and the need for 1.4 million
new technology jobs by 2018,” she said. “Parents don’t know, students don’t know, and community
members in at-risk areas have no idea about the opportunities available to them.”
In part, the ALC initiative intends to provide direction to a stream of well-intentioned, STEM-focused
organizations stepping on each other’s toes in their haste to make a difference.
“There are so many organizations, public and private, working hard to make an impact in STEM and
computer science and for under-represented groups,” Johnson-Stempson said, “that programs are being
duplicated and folks are going after the same funding and competing instead of collaborating.”
“There are great ideas that can be replicated that are working, but each city is different, and what is
working well in one may not work well in another. It takes a coordinated effort with a local approach to
be successful. There is so much great work happening right now, and we want to enable it to happen
better, faster, and more efficiently.”
Todd Park, U.S. chief technology officer and assistant to President Obama, was pleased to see the ALC
project gain momentum.
“In order to maintain our position as the global leader in innovation, it is crucial that this nation’s tech
industry reflect the full diversity of America itself,” Park said. “That’s been the goal of the ‘tech inclusion’events that the White House has sponsored, and it is hugely gratifying to see projects like the ALC
coming to fruition from that process.”
Ultimately, Johnson-Stempson said, the ALC initiative benefits all Americans.
“My hope is that cities large, small, urban, or rural in America see technology as an opportunity to grow
their economic development,” Johnson-Stempson said, “and that the great innovations in every sector
have a technology component and amazing jobs for everyone.
“Every child should get the opportunity to be a producer of the next technology innovation, not just a
consumer. Every citizen needs to have computer-science understanding and skills, and I hope that alarge percentage of students will want to get a computer-science degree and help build the future of
America.”
Tags:
Microsoft Research, The America21 Project, Activate Local Communities Across America Initiative, ALC,
pilot, Chicago, Portland, Cambridge, White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House
7/29/2019 ALC Pilot Announcement - Feb 20 2013
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/alc-pilot-announcement-feb-20-2013 3/3
Tech Inclusion Summit, urban, innovation, entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering,
mathematics, STEM, diverse, opportunities, diversity, public-private, Rahm Emanuel, Chad Womack, co-
chair, Rane Johnson-Stempson, Microsoft Research Connections, Education and Scholarly
Communication, Todd Park