Program Development Activities
Gerhardt began developing a series of STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in 2003 called Focus On NASA,(or FON). These programs had at their root several youth programs that Gerhardt was involved with as partnerships with the Chicago Public School System. The FON programs are an out-growth of those two Program Tracks in which Gerhardt had been involved.
One Program Track was a program called Senior Seminars. This was a mentoring program at Devry University, that was a Capstone project where Seniors at Devry would participate in real world projects. Gerhardt felt that this program would benefit high school youth.
The other program track was called College Excel and was a series of programs where high school youth could earn college credits.or
Gerhardt and these programs were recognized in 2006 by the BP Education Foundation (formerly Leader Foundation) with one of the five LEADER Awards for 2006. The Focus On NASA programs have gone on to win support or funding from a number of organizations including: After School Matters, the Chicago Public School system, Motorola and the Motorola Foundation, Chicago Mayor Richard M Daley & the Village of Wonder Lake. Gerhardt has presently designed over 9 STEM programs from storm chasing to rocketry to the FIRST Robotics Competition robotics team TEAM CHALLENGER.
The results of these programs speak for themselves.
The UGLC or Underground Gamers league of Chicago, is a youth drop-in center program that has given a group of youth in Chicago the opportunity to relate to like-minded "geek kids" in a safe space. The motto of "gaming superiority through mastery of technology" has taken a group of over 100 youth in Chicago and allowed them to reconnect to the education process in a way that makes sense in their life view.
The B2B or Birds to Bots space science program boasts 10 of its 16 2007 graduating seniors as having been accepted to major college engineering programs.
The Flagship program TEAM CHALLENGER, a robotics engineering program for high school age youth, qualified and competed for the International Championships of the US FIRST FIRST Robotics Competition. In its first year of competition TEAM CHALLENGER won the Xerox Creative Engineering Award for the design and creation of their robot MOTOLOLA, the Rookie All-star Award at the Midwest FRC Regional and was ranked 15th of over 2000 teams.
The team was given a special award by the City Council of Chicago and Mayor Daley for representing Chicago in such a stellar fashion during the 2006/2007 FRC season.
Read more about this topic: Jeff Gerhardt
Famous quotes containing the words program, development and/or activities:
“Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the labor interests, and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.”
—Administration in the State of Neva, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“On fields all drenched with blood he made his record in war, abstained from lawless violence when left on the plantation, and received his freedom in peace with moderation. But he holds in this Republic the position of an alien race among a people impatient of a rival. And in the eyes of some it seems that no valor redeems him, no social advancement nor individual development wipes off the ban which clings to him.”
—Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)
“Minds do not act together in public; they simply stick together; and when their private activities are resumed, they fly apart again.”
—Frank Moore Colby (1865–1925)