Troy, NY - Children and their families are invited to Community Day at SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (SUNY Poly CMOST) on November 11. Admission is free of charge thanks to a generous contribution by AT&T enabling all visitors to enjoy the wide variety of interactive exhibits, activities and educational opportunities that SUNY Poly CMOST offers. AT&T is also supporting an innovative program that will establish Tech Valley High School students as junior educators at the museum who will assist in teaching younger children about the wonders of science, technology, engineering, and math.

“We are extremely grateful to AT&T for enabling us to offer our Community Day event to the public at no charge to encourage growth of the critical STEM-focused education-to-career pipeline by engaging children of all backgrounds at a young age,” said SUNY Poly CMOST Vice President Catherine Gilbert. “In addition, the funding also supports Tech Valley High School students who will gain the skills necessary to teach scientific ideas to our younger guests in a meaningful way.”

Applied education programs like these are important for our youth because according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor, much of the growth in the domestic and global economy will come from STEM-related jobs – a highly lucrative and competitive field. It is estimated by 2020 there will be 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs with more than half made up of computer and coding careers, underscoring the importance of providing the youth the tools and skills necessary to compete in the growing innovation economy.

AT&T’s support for this program is part of the company’s legacy of supporting educational programs focused on STEM disciplines in New York through AT&T Aspire, the company’s signature $350 million philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism and mentoring. Aspire is one of the nation’s largest corporate commitments focused on school success and workforce readiness by creating new learning environments and educational delivery systems to help students succeed and prepare them to take on 21st century careers.

“AT&T is proud to collaborate with the SUNY Poly Children’s Museum of Science and Technology to help promote the type of learning that will excite young students and encourage them to become more involved in the high-tech opportunities that are growing all around us,” said Marissa Shorenstein, president of AT&T New York. “By supporting SUNY Poly CMOST Community Day to offer a free event for area families, we hope to highlight how important STEM learning is, as we further enable students like those from Tech Valley High School to learn how to share these critical concepts, sparking a lifetime of scientific learning.”

The funding from AT&T supports a Teen Sharing Science workshop led by SUNY Poly CMOST staff that will train Tech Valley High School students to facilitate inquiry-based learning activities and demonstrations of scientific concepts. The students will be able to apply their new teaching skills to engage children and their families during SUNY Poly CMOST’s Community Day and foster a greater understanding of the ideas underpinning 21st century technological progress.

“Tech Valley High School is thrilled to support SUNY Poly CMOST as it promotes interest in the STEM subjects, and this generous donation by AT&T supporting the Teen Sharing Science program will not only provide a number of TVHS students with the skills they can use to educate others, it will also allow them to be able to inspire young children, the next generation of potential TVHS students who can become tomorrow’s innovators,” said TVHS Principal James Niedermeier.

Visitors to SUNY Poly CMOST’s Community Day will be able to experience a number of exciting activities and presentations geared toward imparting a sense of wonder for scientific exploration. A live animal challenge will feature an educational session based on the museum’s numerous animals, followed by an engineering-centered building challenge. Programs will also focus on the Hudson River and provide a hands-on tour of the basics of nanotechnology principles, among others.

SUNY Poly CMOST’s Community Day will take place November 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the children’s museum, which is located at 250 Jordan Road in Troy, with a check presentation scheduled to take place at 1 p.m.

##################

SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts more than $43 billion in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners. For information visit www.sunycnse.com and www.sunypoly.edu.

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; or address community needs. AT&T Aspire is AT&T’s signature philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, employee volunteerism, and mentoring. Through Aspire, we’ve passed the $250 million mark on our plan to invest $350 million in education from 2008-2017.