Its been a banner year for the DIGITS program – and as the 2009-2010 academic year and the inaugural year of the DIGITS program ends, we want to say thank you to all the volunteers, teachers, and students that have participated in the program.
We should all be proud of the program’s accomplishments and the impact we have made on the students in Massachusetts in opening their minds to the continued study of math and science and inspiring them to consider the opportunities available in future STEM careers.
Here are just a few of this year’s highlights:
- More than 10,000 sixth grade students engaged in the program’s interactive exercises and were motivated to consider STEM jobs and careers
- More than 27% of the state’s schools with a sixth grade opted in to host the DIGITS program in their school
- The program was delivered to approximately 120 schools, in 79 cities and town
- More than 150 volunteers from 44 Massachusetts companies visited these classrooms across the state to inspire students with their personal stories and their enthusiasm for their work
- 90% of the teachers surveyed rated the quality of the visits as high or very high and 97% would recommend the visits to others.
- Most importantly, as a result of the DIGITS presentation, students showed a statistically significant increase in their interest in math/science, reported by the project’s independent evaluator.
This has been an amazing experience, starting with a blank sheet of paper and resulting in an award-winning logo and a highly successful program.
Special thanks to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s STEM Pipeline Fund and the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council for their two years of financial support and leadership on this project. Thanks also to the other 5 associations who, over the last two years, provided strategic advice and guidance to the Project and identified companies interested in participating. These key partners include: The Engineering Center, Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, Mass Network Communications Council (recently merged with the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council), New England Clean Energy Council, and Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council.
Summer is traditionally a time for renewal and re-invigoration – and we are in vigorous planning mode for an enhanced and expanded rollout next year. More on those exciting plans in our next blog post!
