Infosys USA Foundation and New York Academy of Sciences Expand Afterschool Mentoring Program Grant to Citizen Schools in New Jersey

NEW YORK, December 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

The Infosys USA Foundation expanded its challenge grant to the New York Academy of Sciences Afterschool STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Mentoring Program to include Citizen Schools in New Jersey. The Infosys USA Foundation has provided $380,000 in cumulative grants to give more students the opportunity to improve their science and math skills.  

The partnership between the Infosys USA Foundation and the Academy supports the Academy's K-12 Science Education Initiative that provides academic mentoring by young scientists to underserved students. The program's goal is to ensure that students have an opportunity to explore science, math and technology in ways that will encourage higher achievement in the classroom and in testing outcomes.

"Infosys is committed to providing opportunities for students to improve their math and science skills," said Ashok Vemuri, Head of Americas, Global Head, Financial Services & Insurance and Board Member of Infosys. "The Academy offers a valuable STEM education program that encourages learning in a fun environment.  We are pleased to extend the program's reach to students in New Jersey. I am proud of our Infosys colleagues who volunteer their time and skills."

"When we started the program in New York, we had a handful of students from New Jersey-based universities who were spending a lot of time traveling to New York City to teach. Expanding to New Jersey was the logical next step as we had young scientists who wanted to teach, kids who were excited to learn more math and science, and a great partner in Citizen Schools," said Meghan Groome, Director of K-12 Education at the Academy. "Infosys has been a leading supporter of our work and their challenge grant will help us scale up and catalyze other funders to take action."

In the first year of the program, the Academy has surpassed its program goals by placing more than 120 mentors in 84 after-school and summer programs across all five boroughs of New York City, serving more than 2,100 elementary and middle school children. Together, these mentors provided more than 3,120 hours of high quality, educational activities, inspiring the city's most underserved children and encouraging confidence to pursue their talents in science and math.

"Citizen Schools and our students in Newark are deeply grateful for the leadership of the Academy and Infosys. Their volunteers have helped many students build skills in the critical areas of genetics, space science, earth science and math. Our partnerships with the Academy and Infosys give Newark's students, parents and educators the confidence that we can make a real and inspirational difference through science and math education," said Mohan Sivaloganathan, Director of Development and Civic Engagement of Citizen Schools New Jersey.

Based on the achievements of the STEM Mentoring Program in New York City, the Academy believes that with the support of Citizen Schools, it can scale this model to impact science education in New Jersey.

Through additional funding support from the Infosys USA Foundation, the Academy aims to recruit, train and support 30 new mentors in the 2011-2012 school year for the New Jersey-based science education program. The program will provide 180 hours of hands-on activities for 450 students in the fourth through eighth grades in an afterschool setting, as well as extend Academy membership to at least 300 New Jersey teachers.

About Infosys Foundation

Established in 1996, Infosys Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Infosys and has the sole objective of fulfilling the social responsibility of the company by creating opportunities and working toward a more equitable society. Infosys Foundation has made effective strides in the areas of healthcare, education, social rehabilitation, and the arts. The company contributes up to one percent of its profit to the foundation each year. For more information about the Infosys Foundation, visit http://www.infosys.com/infosys_foundation/.

About Infosys

Many of the world's most successful organizations rely on the 142,000 people of Infosys to deliver measurable business value. Infosys provides business consulting, technology, engineering and outsourcing services to help clients in over 30 countries build tomorrow's enterprise.

For more information about Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), visit http://www.infosys.com.

About the New York Academy of Sciences

The New York Academy of Sciences is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide since 1817. With 25,000 members in 140 countries, the Academy is creating a global community of science for the benefit of humanity. The Academy's core mission is to advance scientific knowledge, positively impact the major global challenges of society with science-based solutions, and increase the number of scientifically informed individuals in society at large. For more information, visit http://www.nyas.org.

About Citizen Schools

Citizen Schools is a national educational non-profit. Since its founding in Boston in 1995, it has been re-imagining the learning day to bring more time, more talented adults, and more relevant learning experiences to middle-school students in low-income neighborhoods. By getting citizens off the sidelines and into schools each year, Citizen Schools hopes to close the achievement gap and increase access to the American Dream. Visit http://www.citizenschools.org.

Ted Bockius
+1-510-759-9432
[email protected]

SOURCE Infosys Ltd