With Support From AT&T, Teachers Participated in Competitive STEM Training Program to Incorporate Tech Applications into Their Lesson Plans For 2019-2020 School Year
New York, NY, December 9, 2019 – AT&T engineers and researchers from Rutgers University, Columbia University and New York University Tandon School of Engineering, three of the universities building one of the country’s first and largest real-world testbeds of advanced wireless communications, hosted New York City teachers and their students for a 5G technology showcase today.
Teachers and their students from The Beacon School, Energy Tech High School, and Stuyvesant High School heard directly from academic researchers and 5G wireless practitioners about the use of this new technology in smart city and other urban applications. Students also got a chance to examine the physical 5G infrastructure that is being analyzed by research teams from Rutgers, Columbia, and NYU.
Earlier this year, the participating teachers earned spots in an intensive summer program that prepared them to return to their classrooms this fall ready to engage their students in the transformative technology of 5G and beyond. Upon selection into the competitive program, teachers and their students became part of a large scale National Science Foundation-funded testbed for next-generation wireless communications in West Harlem called COSMOS – Cloud Enhanced Open Software-Defined Mobile Wireless Testbed for City-Scale Deployment.
A grant from AT&T provided stipends and fellowships to graduate students from Columbia Engineering and Data Science Institute and New York University Tandon School of Engineering to support the participating high school teachers in their classrooms and to mentor students as they learn the fundamentals of wireless networking and conduct exciting hands-on projects using the ultra-fast wireless network. The AT&T support has also allowed the purchase of additional materials and supplies needed to execute these STEM lesson plans. Support for the teachers’ summer stipends was also provided by the NSF Engineering and CISE Directorates.
“The path to success in STEM careers remains out of reach for too many young people. But teachers – and events like today’s showcase – have the unique ability to help open students’ eyes to the possibilities around them,” said Amy Hines Kramer, President, AT&T New York. “The COSMOS program is an incredible opportunity for teachers, challenging them to utilize real-world resources in their classroom. The practical skills they pass on to their students will open doors for them to thrive in college, their chosen careers and beyond.”
“One of the most important elements of the COSMOS educational program lies in the way it integrates technology into the curriculum for middle and high school students. This ensures that the technology enabled by 5G will not be a mere novelty for students but a true asset in the classroom,” said NYU Tandon Professor Thanasis Korakis, who leads COSMOS educational activities. “The lesson plans developed by teachers during the summer program are shared with the dozens of teachers who have already participated in COSMOS summer programs. Our goal is to scale up to schools throughout NYC, introducing students to a new and exciting way of learning STEM concepts through the execution of experimental labs on cutting-edge wireless technologies.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with teachers from the testbed area in West Harlem as well as with teachers throughout the city. We are excited to share the cutting-edge technologies developed by the COSMOS team with teachers, school students, and the broader community in Harlem and NYC and we would like to thank the teachers the NSF and AT&T for their valuable contribution,” said Columbia Electrical Engineering Professor Gil Zussman.
This contribution is part of AT&T Aspire, AT&T’s signature philanthropy initiative to drive student success in school and beyond. The initiative supports STEM programs reaching students throughout the five boroughs.
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About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T:
AT&T is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities, and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. The Company’s signature philanthropic initiative, AT&T Aspire, drives innovation in education to promote student success in school and beyond. With a financial commitment of $400 million since 2008, AT&T is leveraging technology, relationships, and social innovation to help all students make their biggest dreams a reality.
About the COSMOS Testbed:
COSMOS – Cloud-Enhanced Open Software-Defined Mobile-Wireless Testbed for City-Scale Deployment – is a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program. It is an advanced wireless research testbed that is being deployed in West Harlem with a technology focus on ultra-high bandwidth and low latency wireless communication tightly coupled with edge computing. Led by researchers at Rutgers, Columbia University, and NYU, and in partnership with New York City, Silicon Harlem, City College of New York (CCNY), University of Arizona, and IBM, the COSMOS platform is a proving ground for next generation wireless technologies and applications. The project will support not only cutting-edge research but also education and outreach activities. For more information, visit https://www.cosmos-lab.org
About the New York University Tandon School of Engineering:
The NYU Tandon School of Engineering dates to 1854, the founding date for both the New York University School of Civil Engineering and Architecture and the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute (widely known as Brooklyn Poly). A January 2014 merger created a comprehensive school of education and research in engineering and applied sciences, rooted in a tradition of invention and entrepreneurship and dedicated to furthering technology in service to society. In addition to its main location in Brooklyn, NYU Tandon collaborates with other schools within NYU, one of the country’s foremost private research universities, and is closely connected to engineering programs at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai. It operates Future Labs focused on start-up businesses in Brooklyn and an award-winning online graduate program. For more information, visit http://engineering.nyu.edu.
About Columbia Engineering:
Columbia Engineering, based in New York City, is one of the top engineering schools in the U.S. and one of the oldest in the nation. Also known as The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School expands knowledge and advances technology through the pioneering research of its more than 220 faculty, while educating undergraduate and graduate students in a collaborative environment to become leaders informed by a firm foundation in engineering. The School’s faculty are at the center of the University’s cross-disciplinary research, contributing to the Data Science Institute, Earth Institute, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Precision Medicine Initiative, and the Columbia Nano Initiative. Guided by its strategic vision, “Columbia Engineering for Humanity,” the School aims to translate ideas into innovations that foster a sustainable, healthy, secure, connected, and creative humanity.
Contact Info:
Media Contacts: Marisa Rodriguez, 956.607.9952 or mrodriguez@skdknick.com
NYU Contact: Kathleen Hamilton, 646.997.3792 or kathleen.hamilton@nyu.edu
Columbia Contact: Holly Evarts, 212-854-3206 or holly.evarts@columbia.edu
