FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York City Teachers to Get Schooled in Engineering, Taste Life
in Silicon Alley
National Science Foundation Grant Will Expand Program that Puts Teachers
in Students’ Seats
NEW YORK, May 15, 2012 – New York City public school teachers will jockey for just 12 slots
next year in a highly competitive summer program at Polytechnic Institute of New York
University (NYU-Poly) — one that allows them to experience the thrills of technology
entrepreneurship while enhancing their understanding of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM).
The six-week program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), exposes teachers to
local technology start-up businesses and NYU-Poly faculty. It aims to increase aptitude in STEM
subjects and offer insight into how business can advance technology innovations.
Science and Mechatronics Aided Research for Teachers with an Entrepreneurship expeRience
Program, or SMARTER, recently received a three-year grant from the NSF under its Research
Experience for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science Site program, an initiative
that encourages K-12 teachers to become involved in engineering and computing research. This
is the third RET Site grant that NSF has awarded NYU-Poly since 2003.
SMARTER is an extension of NYU-Poly’s acclaimed Science and Mechatronics Aided Research
for Teachers (SMART) program, also funded by the prior RET Site grants. NSF support allowed
the program to reach 60 New York City public school teachers since 2003. The renewed funding
will allow SMARTER to train 36 additional teachers over three years.
NYU-Poly Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Vikram Kapila will direct
SMARTER, assisted by NYU-Poly faculty, staff and students.
“Programs like SMARTER are proven to have wide-reaching benefits, to the teachers, the
students and even the schools,” said Kapila. “Reigniting and growing the passion for STEM
subjects in teachers is a powerful way to foster excellence in these areas among students.”
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Each year, 12 teachers will attend SMARTER summer workshops. Participants will receive
mentoring and conduct inquiry-based, hands-on, research in mechatronics — an interdisciplinary
field integrating mechanical, computer, electrical and software engineering. The teachers will
also have access to NYU-Poly’s Technology Management Department faculty and will spend
time “shadowing” technology entrepreneurs. Once each new school year begins, many of these
same entrepreneurs will partner with the teachers to offer mentoring and summer internships to
students.
“We’re very excited to bring entrepreneurship into this program,” said Kapila. “It’s part of a
cultural shift in the way we think about technology commercialization, and it can be
transformative for teachers and students to watch the process develop in real time.”
NYU-Poly President Jerry Hultin echoed Kapila’s enthusiasm, explaining that SMARTER
“expands the reach of NYU-Poly’s commitment to i2e – invention, innovation and
entrepreneurship. We believe it is the formula for transforming great technology ideas into realworld solutions.” Hultin praised the program for “using the best of what we’ve learned from
connecting our undergraduate and graduate students to inspire the young entrepreneurs of the
future.”
SMARTER will begin accepting applications for its 2013 summer session in January 2013.
Potential applicants can visit the SMART site for more information.
About Polytechnic Institute of New York University
Polytechnic Institute of New York University (formerly Polytechnic University), an affiliate of
New York University, is a comprehensive school of engineering, applied sciences, technology
and research, and is rooted in a 158-year tradition of invention, innovation and entrepreneurship:
i2e. The institution, founded in 1854, is the nation’s second-oldest private engineering school. In
addition to its main campus in New York City at MetroTech Center in downtown Brooklyn, it
also offers programs at sites throughout the region and around the globe. Globally, NYU-Poly
has programs in Israel, China and is an integral part of NYU's campus in Abu Dhabi. For more
information, visit www.poly.edu.
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Note to Editors:
To download photos, visit http://research.poly.edu/~resourcespace/?c=336&k=cc35b89ee3
Contact:
Kathleen Hamilton
718-260-3792 office
347-843-9782 mobile
hamilton@poly.edu