In June of 2002, The Daemen College Center for Achievement in Science was awarded $2000 from the Josephine Goodyear Foundation. The funds are being used to provide computer training to low-income Native American and other underrepresented 11th and 12th grade students.

The Center for Achievement in Science at Daemen was established in 2001 through a grant of $460,000 from the Department of Education. The mission of one program within the Center for Achievement in Science is to provide enrichment to Native American students in the sciences, math, and technology, fields in which they are historically underrepresented. The Center provides workshops during the school year and recently completed a 4-week summer environmental science resident camp at Daemen for 20 Native American high school students from the Tuscarora, Cattaraugus, Tonawanda and Onondaga reservations.

As part of its summer computer training program, The Center for Achievement in Science partnered with Computers for Children, Inc. to provide computer training for underrepresented students at KidCo. KidCo offers a four-week hardware and software training to children and their parents who would not otherwise have access to this opportunity. Building on the concept and success of KidCo, Daemen’s Center is providing computer education and mentoring to the students. In addition, the Center places students in internships at PC Expanders and offers one-on-one tutoring.

Faye Lone, Executive Director of the Center, writes, “The partnership with Computers for Children allows us to provide our students valuable technological skills. The internships and tutoring provide students the experiences and credentials that will allow them to obtain high-wage, part-time work while they continue toward their college degrees. The combination of classroom training and hands-on application makes the experience exciting for students, and offers them real skills that they can apply in their respective communities, which are significantly impacted by the digital divide.”

To read more about the Center, visit: http://www.daemen.edu/offices/grants/Funded%20Projects/SCIENCE.HTML