Delaware State University will continue to train African American boys for careers in STEM, thanks to an extension of the university’s partnership with Verizon’s Innovative Learning Program.
The program, launched in 2015 and offering outreach to middle school students in 16 cities nationwide, collaborates with historically black and Hispanic-serving institutions to deliver free technology, free access, and creative curricula to underrepresented groups in STEM access.
DSU began its partnership with Verizon in 2016, and through a $400,000 grant enabled more than 80 boys from low-income households from several Delaware counties to take field trips, gain insight on the value of entrepreneurship, and to work with robotics and 3D printing technologies.
The extension will award Delaware State $300,000 in additional funding, which officials say will expand the program by an estimated 100 participants.