Stevens to distribute free internet access equipment to New Jersey schools January 18 - 22

HOBOKEN, N.J. – Stevens Institute of Technology will help distribute 14 free, large screen televisions and Web TV Internet appliances to New Jersey schools next week (Jan. 18 - 22), as part of this year’s "Schools Online" program in the State, it was announced today by the university.

Schools Online (formerly known as Projectneat), a non-profit organization based in the Silicon Valley section of California, distributes Internet appliance systems at no cost to K-12 schools throughout the United States. Schools Online will allocate 10,000 systems this year among 50 states in proportion to the state’s student population. Stevens’ Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE), which has been collaborating for more than 11 years with New Jersey educators on the integration of technology into K-12 classrooms, is coordinating the Schools Online program in New Jersey, providing training and assisting schools with the distribution.

"This is an excellent opportunity for New Jersey school children to expand the boundaries of their classrooms through the use of these new Internet systems," said Beth McGrath, deputy director of CIESE and State director for Schools Online in New Jersey. "The generosity of Schools Online will help students gain access to the vast information superhighway and enable them to use a wealth of educational materials available via the Internet. Stevens and CIESE are honored to have been asked to implement the Schools Online program in New Jersey to help schools integrate the Internet into teaching and learning to help answer President Clinton’s challenge to link every U.S. school to the Internet."

Stevens will hold a training session for many of the school teachers who will receive these televisions Jan. 20, at 9:00 a.m., in the Castle Room on the third floor of the Wesley J. Howe Center on the university’s Hoboken campus. The media is invited to this forum.

In addition to Stevens, distribution of these devices and training has been taking place this month at the New Jersey Systemic Initiative at Rutgers University in Piscataway and at Rowan University in Glassboro.

While the program is designed to serve every school, those in underserved and disadvantaged neighborhoods, schools without Internet access, schools in rural areas and towns without libraries and special need districts, will be given first priority.

For more information on Schools Online in New Jersey, please call 201-216-5375. Or, visit Schools Online’s World Wide Web site at: www.schoolsonline.org.

About CIESE

The Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education at Stevens helps educators exploit the power of technology to improve instruction and bolster student achievements in mathematics and science. Advancements in student learning in these areas will create a more competitive, technological workforce that is better able to analyze and deal with a range of complex issues and problems. CIESE’s mission is accomplished through a variety of activities including direct collaboration with teachers and school systems, partnerships with community colleges and local school systems, videoconferences and hands-on workshops on the use of technology in mathematics and statewide projects linking other universities and institutions with schools across New Jersey.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a partial list of northern New Jersey schools which will receive systems:

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University TM , lives at the intersection of industry, academics and research.  The University's students, faculty and partners leverage their collective real-world experience and culture of innovation, research and entrepreneurship to confront global challenges in engineering, science, systems and technology management.

Based in Hoboken, N.J. and with a location in Washington, D.C., Stevens offers baccalaureate, master’s, certificates and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences and management, in addition to baccalaureate degrees in business and liberal arts.  Stevens has been recognized by both the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Excellence in the areas of systems engineering and port security research. The University has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with almost 450 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America as well as strategic partnerships with industry leaders, governments and other universities around the world.  Additional information may be obtained at www.stevens.edu and www.stevens.edu/press.