Toyota International Teacher Program

IIE is currently accepting applications for the inaugural Toyota International Teacher Program to South Africa, scheduled for July 24 – August 10, 2011! The deadline to apply is January 23, 2011, 11:59 PM (EST). Please read through the application instructions carefully before starting the online application. Click here to apply online.

The Toyota International Teacher Program values diversity and encourages educators of all backgrounds, subjects, and school types to apply for this unique professional development opportunity.

National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards

The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities is pleased to present the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards to outstanding after-school and out-of-school programs that are transforming the lives of young people. Programs that receive the award exemplify how arts and humanities programs outside of the regular school day enrich the lives of young people throughout the country by teaching new skills, nurturing creativity, and building self-confidence. These programs offer high-quality and intensive instruction on weekends, afternoons, and summer vacations, providing a safe and productive space for young people in the hours when they are often the most vulnerable. Their carefully focused projects supplement in-school curricula with exposure to a wide variety of artistic and scholastic pursuits. Arts and humanities education has always been a priority for the President’s Committee and is a major focus of the Committee’s ongoing efforts. We are proud of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award's long record of success in acknowledging and supporting these inspiring programs.

NIH Academic Career Award

Purpose. The purpose of the NIH Academic Career Award (K07) is to provide support to increase the pool of individuals with academic and research expertise to become academic researchers and to enhance the educational or research capacity at the grantee sponsoring grantee institution. The Academic Career Award supports K07 Development awards for more junior level candidates and K07 Leadership awards for more senior individuals with acknowledged scientific expertise and leadership skills. Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact the relevant NIH staff for IC-specific programmatic and budgetary information: Table of Institute and Center Contacts. Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the K07 award mechanism Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Awards issued under this FOA are contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Link to Full Announcement

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-10-058.html

Gannon offers programming contest for students

[From ErieBlogs] High school students who enjoy computing are encouraged to enter Gannon University’s Computer Programming Contest.

The contest is designed as an incentive for students to learn more about programming and to reward quality work. Cash prizes of $300 for first place, $150 for second, $100 for third and $50 for honorable mention will be offered.

Online registration will begin Jan. 5, 2011. Final project submissions are due Feb. 15. There is no cost to enter.

Students can enter individually or as a group and must have a sponsoring teacher. The sponsoring teacher can be any teacher/instructor who is familiar with the student’s or group’s programming skills.

More about the contest’s requirements

Entries can be written in a high-level programming language such as Visual BASIC, C++ or Java, as long as it is executable on a PC running a LINUX or Windows operating system. Games are acceptable as entries.

All entries must be accompanied by clear documentation of:

• The problem the program is intended to solve.
• Instruction of program installation and deployment or complete installation package.
• Operation instruction.

Submissions will be judged on their functionality, design style, user interface and graphic interaction, completeness of documentation of system and platform requirement, clearness of instruction on how to execute the application and the percentage of self-developed code.

For more information on the contest or guidelines, contact Theresa M. Vitolo, Ph.D., chair and associate professor, Gannon University department of computer and information science, at 814-871-7126, or visit http://www.gannon.edu/programcontest.

Bezos Scholars Program

[From Philanthropy News Digest]

The Bezos Scholars Program @ the Aspen Institute seeks twelve top public high school juniors and twelve dynamic educators to receive seven-day, all-expenses-paid scholarships to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival, June 26 to July 2, 2011, in Aspen, Colorado. The program was created by the Bezos Family Foundation to help cultivate the next generation of leaders.

The program seeks independent thinkers, demonstrated leaders, and engaged community members. Past Bezos Scholars have met with retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan and Margaret Spellings, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, inventor Dean Kamen, Tom's Shoe's founder Tom Mycoskie, and journalist Thomas Friedman, among other notables.

Following attendance at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the student and educator teams will return home and create Local Ideas Festivals in their schools.

To be eligible for the program, the student and educator team must be from a public high school (including charter and magnet schools) at which at least 25 percent of students are eligible for the free/reduced lunch program. The school must offer Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or the opportunity to take college/community college courses.

Student applicants must be public high school juniors during the 2010-11 academic year who: demonstrate leadership in school and community, have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have scored exceptionally well on PSAT/SAT/or ACT,are enrolled in Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate/college classes, and are legal U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.

Visit the Bezos Family Foundation Web site to review the school and scholar criteria, view videos, and download the , program flyer, application form, and an FAQ.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Research Experience for Teachers in Engineering / Computer Science

The Directorate for Engineering (ENG) and the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science program supports the active involvement of K-12 science, technology, engineering, computer and information science, and mathematics (STEM) teachers and community college faculty in engineering and computer science research in order to bring knowledge of engineering, computer science, and technological innovation into their classrooms. The goal is to help build long-term collaborative partnerships between K-12 STEM teachers, community college faculty, and the NSF university research community by involving the teachers and community college faculty in engineering and computer science research and helping them translate their research experiences and new knowledge into classroom activities. Partnerships with inner city schools or other high needs schools are especially encouraged, as is participation by underrepresented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. This announcement features two mechanisms for support of in-service and pre-service K-12 STEM teachers and community college faculty: RET supplements to ongoing ENG or CISE awards and new RET Site awards. RET supplements may be included in proposals for new or renewed NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) or CISE grants or as supplements to ongoing NSF ENG or CISE funded projects. RET in Engineering and Computer Science Sites are based on independent proposals from engineering or computer and information science departments, schools or colleges to initiate and conduct research participation projects for a number of K-12 STEM teachers and/or community college faculty.

NSF Publication 11-509

Lumina Foundation Education grants

[From Philanthropy News Digest]

The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education has announced third-quarter grants totaling more than $25 million to organizations in twenty states and the District of Columbia working to enhance college access and success.

The grants will support efforts to prepare students academically, financially, and socially for success beyond high school; improve college completion rates; and increase higher education productivity and capacity to serve more students. Grant recipients include Washington, D.C.-based HCM Strategists, which was awarded more than $2.8 million to manage state contracts and coordinate technical support for Lumina's productivity initiative; the Education Trust, which received almost $1.8 million to support the next phase of the Access to Success initiative; and the Rutgers University Foundation, which received $799,700 to help adults finish their degrees online through a state workforce development system.

The foundation also awarded $800,000 to the American Association of Community Colleges to build on community college programs with proven success, $252,300 to the Brookings Institute to improve public-institution and state financial aid policies, and $800,000 to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Foundation to strengthen the RAPID completion program.

"In striving to reach Lumina's Big Goal of increasing the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025, we've learned very quickly that Lumina is-and must be-more than just a grant making organization," said Jamie Merisotis, the foundation's president and CEO. "We increasingly recognize that, as an independent foundation pursuing a vital mission, we must also be a leadership organization."

For a complete list of third-quarter grants, visit the Lumina Foundation Web site.

“Lumina Foundation for Education Announces Third-Quarter Grants.” Lumina Foundation for Education Press Release 11/30/10.