A lot has happened since Aurora University announced a $39, 600 gift from the Schmidgall Family Foundation, to provide scholarships so that financially vulnerable high school students can attend the university’s new Michael J. Birck Innovation Engineering Program.
The Michael J. Birck Innovation Engineering Program is a collaborative effort between the university, local school districts, corporations, and nonprofit organizations to advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
The award helped finance 36 scholarships, said Sharon Miller, chair of the Aurora University Department of Computer Science and Engineering, in a statement.
In the summer of 2017, school officials, donors, high school students, and representatives from corporate and philanthropic partners gathered on campus to witness the dedication of the new Michael J. Birck Collaboration Center for Innovation at Aurora University.
The Collaboration Center for Innovation houses the Michael J. Birck Engineering Program, which extends STEM learning to area high school students. Both are named in honor of Michael J. Birck, founder, CEO, and chairman of Tellabs Inc. Birck died in 2015.
The Tellabs Foundation provided $1 million to help finance the new facilities and the program itself.
The program gives high school students the opportunity to work directly with local technology and engineering professionals. Students receive two undergraduate credits for each course they successfully complete.
Partners include Cabot Microelectronics, Caterpillar Inc., Cordogan Clark & Associates, Fermilab, Fox Valley Park District, Magnetrol International, and Southern Company Gas/NICOR.
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