ASME and EverFi Announce New STEM Education Initiative in Maryland Public Schools and Tiger Woods Learning Centers

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME), through the support of the ASME Foundation, today announced that it has teamed with EverFi, a leading education technology company, to sponsor a web-based, interactive STEM education platform to middle and high schools across Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. The program, known as Radius, will also be piloted at select Tiger Woods Learning Center Campuses.

The launch event took place on June 28 at Congressional Country Club during the AT&T National, a PGA TOUR golf tournament that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation.

"The industries that will power Maryland's future economy require a workforce skilled in STEM disciplines," said Matthew Schatzle, Executive Director of the ASME Foundation. "ASME is committed to opening the door to careers for those underrepresented in the STEM workforce, including women, African-Americans and Hispanics. We want to light that spark in a student and make the connection to all the possibilities and opportunities in STEM."

More than one in four jobs in the DC area is now in science, technology, engineering or math, according to a new report by the Brookings Institution.  The DC region ranks number two in STEM employment in the nation, second only to Silicon Valley. Yet Governor Martin O'Malley's STEM Task Force reports that while Maryland has more than 6,000 STEM job openings every year, the state only produces 4,000 STEM graduates. Further, only 32 percent of Maryland eighth graders are deemed proficient in science, according to the National Assessment for Educational Progress.

"Summers at the Tiger Woods Learning Centers focus on STEM classes and hands-on activities that help prepare young people for college and a future career. We are excited to be able to test this interactive educational program with our students," said Kathy Bihr, Vice President of Programs for the Tiger Woods Foundation. "We have worked with EverFi for more than four years now and know that they set a high bar for engaging content."

Developed by EverFi, Radius is a unique digital STEM education program that uses online gaming and simulations to teach critical technology and coding skills, ignite interest in STEM, and expose students to STEM opportunities that they might never have dreamed were within their reach. Designed for middle school students, Radius course content maps to the new Common Core math standards adopted by 45 states, including Maryland.

The web-based course features 16 modules covering STEM-focused topics ranging from the real world application of algebra to basic computer science. Engaging, interactive lessons focus on building skills and highlighting career possibilities that a STEM education could unlock. While working toward a goal of completing a "secret agent mission," students must demonstrate their mastery of STEM skills as they are presented with various real-life scenarios.

"EverFi's web-based curriculum provides a rich and innovative environment for digital natives to connect and apply concepts that they are learning in Mathematics, Science or Technology Education to a real-world applications, thereby making these subjects more relevant," said Godfrey Rangasammy, Supervisor of Science for Pre K-12 for Prince George's County Public Schools. "Technology can truly change the equation in terms of teaching these critical topics at scale and igniting students' passion for STEM at a young age, and we are grateful for the public-private partnerships that make these programs possible."

About ASME
ASME is a not-for-profit membership organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing, career enrichment, and skills development across all engineering disciplines, toward a goal of helping the global engineering community develop solutions to benefit lives and livelihoods. Founded in 1880 by a small group of leading industrialists, ASME has grown through the decades to include more than 130,000 members in 158 countries. Thirty-thousand of these members are students.  Learn more at www.asme.org.

About the ASME Foundation
The ASME Foundation provides support for ASME programs, scholarships, awards and honors. The ASME Foundation champions ASME's mission to serve diverse global communities by advancing, disseminating and applying engineering knowledge for improving the quality of life, and communicating the excitement of engineering. Gifts to the ASME Foundation supports, creates, and advances the field of engineering and molds future engineers by supporting K-12 STEM education programs, engineering for global development projects, student and early career development, and public policy and federal fellows programs.  Learn more at https://www.asme.org/about-asme/get-involved/asme-foundation.

About The Tiger Woods Foundation   
At the Tiger Woods Foundation, we believe every child deserves a shot at college. Designed to break through a culture of low expectations, our college-access programs reach underserved youth in all stages of academic life. For scholars in grades 5-12, the Tiger Woods Learning Centers provide hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering and math coupled with college preparation workshops to create a unique environment focused on college and careers. The Earl Woods Scholarship Program is an unparalleled network providing admissions counseling, college scholarships, dedicated mentors, specialized internships and vital workshops. Receiving individualized support, our bright young scholars are succeeding at prestigious universities such as Georgetown, USC, UC Berkeley, UCLA and Harvard. For more information on our programs, please visit tigerwoodsfoundation.org. 

About EverFi  
EverFi Inc. is the leading education technology company focused on teaching, assessing, and certifying K-12 and college students in the critical skills they need for life. The company teams with major corporations and foundations to provide the programs at no cost to K-12 schools. Some of America's leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EverFi investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Twitter founder Evan Williams, Rethink Education, New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA), and Tomorrow Ventures (the investment arm of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt).  Learn more at www.everfi.com

CONTACT:  Jennifer Sykes, EverFi, Inc., 202-625-0011, ext. 318

SOURCE EverFi, Inc.