Durham, NH, February 19, 2016 — The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), a third-party laboratory dedicated to broad-based testing and standards conformance services for networking industries, has received a generous donation from the Verizon Foundation Grant. The Verizon Foundation Grant is dedicated to solving critical social issues in the areas of education, healthcare and energy management, particularly in underserved communities. This donation is specifically for growing the UNH-IOL Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach throughout New Hampshire.
The Verizon Foundation Grant will allow the UNH-IOL to expand its efforts and thereby impact a greater number of students. Outreach will primarily include engaging with young women who are greatly underserved in the STEM world. Every year in March, the UNH-IOL provides workshops for the Girls Technology Day event at NHTI in Concord, NH. This year the event has branched out to The University of New Hampshire, Durham Campus and Manchester Community College. “We are thrilled that we will be able to host activities for all three locations”, says Suzanne Snow, STEM Outreach and Development Manager for the UNH-IOL. “This event is tailored to high school girls in grades 9 and 10 and gives them the opportunity to explore careers in STEM through hands-on activities.” The UNH-IOL STEM team also plans to conduct outreach in schools that do not have programs and activities that engage girls in technology or innovation.
Stephanie Lee, Verizon Regional Director of Government Affairs, echoes the UNH-IOL’s STEM goals, she states, “at Verizon, we believe good ideas combined with powerful technology can help solve the world’s biggest problems. That’s why we are proud to support the UNH-IOL outreach efforts to engage more girls in experiential STEM learning. The UNH-IOL is empowering a new generation of innovators, who will not only be prepared for future jobs but will lead the next phase of technology innovation.”
The culmination of the UNH-IOL STEM efforts is the UNH-IOL High School Summer Internship. This six- week, paid internship program is for high school students entering their junior year with an interest in pursuing a career in technology. The internship allows students to work in a variety of technology focused areas to create solutions to real world problems, work hands-on with IOL staff and equipment and gain additional exposure working with industry professionals. Students who complete the internship develop advanced technical and leadership skills as well as a high level of confidence in their future.
The UNH-IOL would like to thank Verizon for their continued support that allows us to build the pipeline for these programs. The UNH-IOL has a solid reputation for providing undergraduate and graduate students hands-on experience, which is funded by industry. The grant from Verizon Foundation will enable the UNH-IOL to create additional paths for success for middle and high school students who previously may not have thought about careers in technology.
For more information on STEM programs for students click here. For sponsorship opportunities please Contact Us .
About the UNH-IOL
The UNH-IOL is dedicated to being the world's premier data networking resource. Beginning in 1988, the UNH-IOL has built a multimillion dollar testbed and developed testing solutions to help companies efficiently and cost effectively deliver products to market. UNH-IOL’s services fit the needs of the market, while maintaining broad, comprehensive interoperability and conformance testing of networking, data, telecommunications, and storage products. The industry relies on UNH-IOL’s extensive staff experience, standards-bodies participation, 28,000+ square foot facility, and 100+ students who represent the future interoperability testing and verification.
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Contacts
Suzanne Snow
STEM Outreach and Development Manager
University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory
21 Madbury Rd., Suite 100
Durham, NH 03824
+1-603-862-0090