CEISMC’s GIFT Program Receives a Holiday Gift of Its Own from the UPS Foundation

By Andrew Kerr December 18, 2008

Richard Millman, Director, CEISMC
Kelli Franklin-Joyner, UPS Corporate IE
Bonnie Harris - Program Manager, GIFT @ CEISMC

In December, the UPS Foundation presented Georgia Tech’s K-12 outreach program, the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC), with a check for $25,000 for the center’s Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT) program.

Under CEISMC, GIFT collaborates with Georgia’s corporations and universities to place teachers into summer internships with businesses and research institutes. Since its founding in 1991 nearly 1400 teachers have participated in the program, and beginning in 2003, as an added benefit, 120 high school students have conducted ‘real life’ research alongside GIFT teachers.

Richard Millman, who assumed the CEISMC directorship in August 2008, says, “We are honored that UPS Foundation has found the GIFT program worthy of its support, not only as reflected by their generous donation, but also by the time and effort UPS has invested over the years in offering Georgia teachers summer learning experiences which they can bring back into their classrooms and draw upon to answer that perennial student question: ‘When will I ever really use this stuff?’ “

Since 1998, UPS has hosted nine GIFT teachers during its summers with the program; has funded placements of teachers in university research laboratories; and also has a representative, Kelli Franklin-Joyner, serving on the GIFT Advisory Council. The UPS Foundation is that organization’s charitable arm; they partner with organizations that, in the words of UPS Foundation President Lisa Hamilton, “work to make a positive impact on the lives of people in need.” In 2007 the organization distributed $46.4 million worldwide in grants.

Ms. Franklin-Joyner presented the check to CEISMC on December 9.

“The UPS funds will be used to support two additional R.E.A.L. [Research, Experiment, Analyze and Learn] GIFT teacher/high school student teams conducting research in Georgia Tech’s research labs,” says GIFT Program Manager Bonnie Harris. “Expansion of R.E.A.L. teacher/student teams ensures that more Georgia students are exposed to ‘real world’ applications of science, mathematics, and computing.”

Eighteen corporate, research, and public science institute sponsors hosted GIFT fellows in 2008. The GIFT program’s popularity is rooted in the fact that it is widely seen as a win/win situation for both the teachers and the organizations that host them. “The business gets a project that they want done completed by someone with real scientific skills,” says Dr. Millman, “and the teacher gets to see how the subjects they teach are integrated into research or engineering projects. The teachers also benefit because they are looking at the classroom material through the eyes of practitioners."

“We are appreciative of UPS’s continuing commitment to supporting our providing teachers and students first-hand experiences rooted in global real-world challenges,” says Ms. Harris. “We invite others to join UPS in partnering to transform science, mathematics, and technology teaching and learning.”

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