Companies on Campus

--COMPANIES ON== CAMPUS Explore What Some of the World's Biggest Businesses Are Doing to Improve Education. With recent budget cutbacks and shortfalls, education at all levels is in more trouble than ever. Large corporations are realizing this and taking steps to help. Find out how effective their programs are. SCIENCE Google Engineers Daniela Raijmann and Michal Segalov started "Mind the Gap" to introduce girls to careers in computer science. The program has helped more than 2,000 young women from 42 different towns in Israel. - 100 MATH Hewlett-Packard HP started a program, HP Catalyst Initiative, which brings educators, businesses and scientists together to develop more effective approaches to science, technology. engineering and mathematics education. National Semiconductor The California-based company provides teachers with free materials for hands-on science and math experiments. TECHNOLOGY S Hewlett-Packard HP also awards teachers who are going above and beyond in the ways they use technology in the classroom, with winners getting a $40,000 grant to continue their work. Intel Intel works in more than 70 countries to monitor 200 different programs aimed at educational reform, professional development, and increasing access to educational technology. The company also has donated more than $1 billion Intel also hosts a series of competitions that challenge students to test their skills in science, engineering and entrepreneurship. Microsoft Microsoft provides schools with low-cost software and computers. Its DigiGirlz program helps to give high school girls a chance to learn about, use, and explore careers in technology. iRobot In 2010, the company won an Education Innovation Award for its 20 in 20 program, an initiative aimed at getting students interested in careers in robotics or other technologies. EDUCATION Facebook A Yale University student recently received $4 $4 million from Facebook to continue work on a site that works with school districts to gather the requisite data they needed to improve education. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg launched StartUp: Education. The goal is to transform Newark's public schools so that all children have access to a high-quality Microsoft Microsoft has developed a number of programs, competitions and educational initiatives to help students and teachers. education and so that other cities can use Newark as a model to reform their own schools. Verizon Verizon won an award for its Thinkfinity website, a portal for educators that provides free educational tools and a social network for teachers. IBM Has donated nearly $100 million since 1994 to educational causes. National Semiconductor Since 2008, National Semiconductor ESS FE has been funding the National's Power of Education Initiative, which gives $1 million in grants to local education and nonprofit organizations working in K-12 classrooms. Texas Instruments Over the past five years, the company has donated $150 million to education programs, though much of that investment goes to higher education and research programs at academic institutions. SPORTS Comcast Center, Many companies have purchased naming rights to college sports venues. This list is merely a sampling of them: University of Maryland, College Park Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence College, Rhode Island University of Washington Seattle Value City Arena, Ohio State University. Coors Events Center, University of Colorado, Columbus KFC Yum! Center, University of Louisville, Kentucky Boulder bestmastersprograms.org SOURCES http://www8.hp.com • http://9to5google.com • http://venturebeat.com http://www.startupeducation.org • http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com