Tag Archives: STEM Education

Inspire kids to create our future: Apply for a 2015 RISE Award

Technology has the power to change the world for the better, but today far too few have access to the education or encouragement they need to become creators, not just consumers. We know that pre-university exposure to Computer Science education is critically important for inspiring kids to pursue a career in computing.

That’s why Google offers the RISE Awards -- grants of $15,000 to $50,000 USD -- to organisations across the globe working to promote access to Computer Science education for girls and underrepresented minorities. Our RISE partners are changemakers: they engage, educate, and excite students about computing through extracurricular outreach.

In 2014, 42 organisations received RISE Awards—with projects ranging from coding clubs in Europe to web development camps in Sub-Saharan Africa. In April, we brought all of our partners together for a Global Summit that sparked resource sharing and collaboration amongst organisations.

We’re looking for more partners in 2015. Submit your application by September 30, 2014 in English, French, Japanese, Russian or Spanish. All eligibility information is listed on our website.



Posted by Roxana Shirkhoda, K12/Pre-University Education Outreach

Encouraging schools to teach computer science

We recently told you about CS4HS, our program for high school and middle school computer science teachers. Today, there’s some additional news to share: the winners of our 2014 Europe, the Middle East and Africa CS4HS awards.

Twenty-six computer science education projects, from across 20 countries in Europe, Middle East and Africa, were chosen. All address training of computer science teachers in secondary schools and aim to spread best practice amongst educators.



Among the winners, the University of Stuttgart will host a teacher training workshop introducing computer science topics. Technion – Israel’s leading Institute of Technology — will give teachers access to a collaborative educational site featuring successful lesson plans and classroom idea. Kenya's Maseno University will offer sessions on mobile application development and IT leaders will be invited to discuss the value of a computer science degree and potential career paths.

Visit www.cs4hs.com to find out more and to access teacher resources such as online workshops, tutorials and information on computational thinking. Ongoing, year-round help is available by joining our Google+ Community which hosts Hangouts on Air with CS industry leaders, Googlers, and top educators. Our ultimate goal is ambitious — to “train the trainer,” develop a thriving community of high school Computer Science teachers, and above all, engage pre-university students about the awe and beauty of computing.

Posted by Michelle Finnegan, Program Manager

2014 RISE Awards: Supporting computer science education

"We need more kids falling in love with science and math.” Our CEO Larry Page said this at last year's Google Developers I/O event, and it's a feeling shared by all of us. We want to inspire young people around the world, and so five years ago we created the Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Awards, which provides funding to organisations around the world that engage girls and underrepresented students in extracurricular computer science programs.

This year, the RISE Awards are providing $1.5 million to 42 organizations in 19 countries that provide students with the resources they need to succeed in the field.  Ten winners come from Europe. They range from Generating Genius in the U.K. which provides after-school computer science programs and mentoring to prepare high-achieving students from disadvantaged communities for admission into top universities to Mezon in Russia, which operates a learning center for educational robotics, developing curriculum for senior school teachers. Visit our site for a full list of our RISE Award recipients.
Created in 2007, the Children’s University Foundation has been carrying out educational programs for more than 20,000 children aged 6-13. Click on the photo to learn more about this and other RISE Awardees.

This year we’re also expanding the program with the RISE Partnership Awards. These awards aim to encourage collaboration across organizations in pursuit of a shared goal of increasing global participation in computer science. For example, more than 5,000 girls in sub-Saharan Africa will learn computer science as a result of a partnership between the Harlem based program ELITE and the WAAW Foundation in Nigeria.

We’re proud to help these organisations inspire the next generation of computer scientists.

Posted by Hai Hong, RISE Program Manager

Help train the next generation of computer scientists

Developing computer science and STEM skills is something that should start at an early age. That’s why we’ve been supporting efforts like the RISE Awards and Raspberry Pi to help inspire a new generation of computer scientists who will build the apps and programs of the future. We are passionate about improving the way computer science is taught in schools and believe that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science.

We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2014 Google CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) award program. The program funds universities to work with local high schools to give teachers the training and tools they need to bring computer science and computational thinking into the classroom. Apply before midnight GMT, February 17th, 2014 via www.cs4hs.com.



Throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, many high schools have limited access to training and curriculum resources. Teachers often struggle to keep up with fast changing technology and they have difficulty demonstrating that computer science can be a rewarding and “cool” career choice. The Google CS4HS award helps teachers meet those challenges. In 2013, the CS4HS program funded 34 computer science education projects across 18 countries in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

We’re excited to have the opportunity to help even more educators learn how to teach computer science and encourage students to take up computer science. Together, we can help inspire the next generation of computer scientists!

Posted by Posted by Michelle Finnegan, University Relations Specialist, UK