PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The GE Foundation announced a $50,000 grant to Assemble, a non-profit organization dedicated to building confidence through making. This grant will enhance access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) training and provide cutting-edge technology to encourage students in Assemble’s community to become more familiar with the field and better prepare them for innovative jobs in the future.
Located within a diverse neighborhood in Pittsburgh, many students in Assemble’s community are faced with barriers to STEM-related activities during their school days, inhibiting them from experimenting, trying, and learning through experiences necessary for the jobs of tomorrow. With the help of GE Foundation, Assemble can continue its commitment to addressing these educational gaps. Assemble offers students STEM opportunities that will enable them to succeed in school and feel confident about participation in science, technology and art classes, while also giving them the necessary skills to be successful in today’s workforce.
“At Assemble, we envision a diverse community with people of all ages who feel empowered to create, connect, learn, and transform together,” said Nina Barbuto, founder and director at Assemble. “This support from GE Foundation will help us to impact students’ lives in a deep and meaningful way, building their agency. Through interactive science, technology, engineering, arts and math experiences, we encourage creative problem solving and critical-thinking skills to prepare students to be producers of the future hold.”
“With access to innovative technology, Assemble is giving its students experiential learning with career-readiness planning in high-demand STEM fields, like additive manufacturing,” said John Oliver, CEO at GE Additive. “This exposure will help promote interest in STEM at an early age, enabling students to feel empowered and prepared to be the next engineer or another profession in technology to accelerate our field.”
In addition to GE Foundation’s efforts to support the equity and quality in K-12 public education in the U.S., in 2017 GE Additive’s Education Program announced an investment of $10 million over five years to provide schools and colleges worldwide with 3D printers. To date, more than 400 schools have received printers, giving more than 180,000 students across the globe access to 3D printing equipment and curriculum.
“GE Foundation is focused on bridging the gap between education and industry by giving students a solid foundation for the future with the skills to compete successfully in today’s digital industrial world,” said Ann R. Klee, president of GE Foundation. “GE Foundation and Assemble share a common goal of bringing communities together and helping students become problem solvers and innovators of the future.”
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