COLLEGE OF engineering
Boise State Selected to Receive Prestigious HP Grant
Boise State was selected as one of 10 two- and four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. to receive a highly competitive 2009 HP Innovations in Education grant. The grant is designed to address the need for more students to pursue and complete high-quality, high-tech undergraduate degree programs in engineering, computer science, information systems and information technology.
The winning proposal was written by Joe Guarino, professor and associate chair of the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, and Pat Pyke, director of education research in the College of Engineering. Thanks to their efforts, the university will receive an award package of HP technology, cash and professional services valued at more than $280,000. Technologies such as wireless HP Tablet PCs, wide-format HP DesignJet printers and remote access to high-power HP Blade Workstations from anywhere on campus will be used in innovative ways to fundamentally redesign the undergraduate learning experience.
Guarino said the grant will fund the Engineering Learning Community for Idaho (ELCI) project, which will provide learning resources for science, mathematics and engineering for use by students at all levels. It also will support basic research in these areas, and the Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering will offer a course this fall for engineering students interested in developing simulations for the ELCI project. In addition, remote-access capabilities will allow students throughout Idaho to use powerful engineering and scientific programs hosted by Boise State’s College of Engineering.
“Hewlett-Packard is continuing their tradition of giving back to the engineering community. The HP Innovations in Education award will enable a sustained, virtual community for the promotion and advancement of engineering and science education in Idaho. We look forward to sharing our experiences with our colleagues at other universities, including the University of Illinois, Clemson, Purdue and Tulane, who also received HP grants,” Guarino said, adding that recipients will present their projects at the 2010 Education Innovations Conference, hosted by HP.
Worldwide, HP is investing more than $17 million in mobile technology, cash and professional development as part of the global 2009 HP Innovations in Education grant initiative. This initiative follows HP’s five-year, $60 million investment in HP Technology for Teaching grants to more than 1,000 schools and universities in 41 countries. During the past 20 years, HP has contributed more than $1 billion in cash and equipment to schools, universities, community organizations and other nonprofit organizations around the world.
“Innovation is key to expanding education opportunity, and HP is privileged to collaborate with educators around the world who are committed to exploring the exciting possibilities that exist at the intersection of teaching, learning and technology,” said Jim Vanides, worldwide program manager for HP Global Social Investments. “Emerging evidence from the last five years is very positive — excellent instruction combined with the right technologies is measurably improving student academic success.”
More information about the 2009 HP Innovations in Education initiative and other global social investments is available at www.hp.com/go/grants.