UAlbany CNSE helps launch 'Be the Change for Kids Innovation Awards'

Albany, NY--A new partnership between the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) and the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) will reward innovative local school programs that help students gain important 21st-century learning and career skills in emerging fields such as nanotechnology.

NYSSBA and CNSE have teamed up to launch the "Be the Change for Kids Innovation Awards" to help foster new and exciting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs across the state. Schools will also be rewarded for programs that develop students' creativity, critical thinking, and civic responsibilities.

Three school districts will be honored and each will receive $5,000. Students and staff from the award-winning programs will participate in tours and activities at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex and be honored at NYSSBA's Annual Convention in Rochester, NY, in October.

The criteria for the awards will help highlight exciting educational and career training programs. Particularly, the districts should demonstrate how their programs allow other schools to adopt similar curriculum models, provide a lasting impact on students in the district, and focus on career skills that are critical for New York's emerging workforce.

Invitations have gone out to all school districts and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) districts in the state and award nominations will be accepted through June 15. Nominations will be reviewed by a statewide panel of judges, and winners will be announced in September.

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