INROADS and STEMBoard join forces to increase diversity in STEM/STEAM

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- INROADS, Inc. and STEMBoard have formed a strategic alliance to expand opportunities in STEM/STEAM for underserved students, professionals and entrepreneurs. INROADS is a non-profit focused on development and career preparation for talented, underserved youth. STEMBoard is a technology solutions company that works to close the achievement gap by empowering historically underrepresented youth to help build transformational technologies.

"The opportunities, innovative training and mentoring this strategic alliance makes possible will help bridge the digital divide in underrepresented communities, creating more – and more successful – 21st Century diverse leaders," said Marcos Morales, INROADS' newly appointed Assistant Vice President & Head, Talent Management and National STEM Initiatives.

In 2015, STEMBoard began developing curriculum for INROADS' high school program, College Links and conducted two summer workshops – Intro to Engineering Design Fundamentals and STEAM Entrepreneurship. Developed in Chicago in 1976, College Links exposes talented, diverse high school students to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) – and STEAM, which adds arts to the STEM subjects – with year-round educational instruction and corporate visits.

Next steps for the INROADS/STEMBoard partnership include:

• Curriculum development for College Links Atlanta: Advancing Female High School Students in STEM/STEAM. College Links-Atlanta will partner with several under-resourced Atlanta high schools to recruit high-potential students for a program supported by a $100,000 grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation.  
• STEMBoard/INROADS Hardware Pilot Project, Washington, DC: STEMBoard is developing a hardware project with supporting content and training to inspire more students to pursue STEM careers. Approximately 10 INROADS College Links students will participate in the pilot in January 2017.
• Mini-Hack<IT>, Atlanta: STEMBoard will host a three-day hands-on technology camp with an entrepreneurship framework where students develop innovative technology solutions to challenges facing their communities and country.

"Hardware-based practical application is essential to success in STEM fields," said Aisha Bowe, STEMBoard Co-Founder & CEO. "This alliance ensures students build functional mechanisms essential to professional or entrepreneurial success."

About STEMBoard
Founded by Aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, and computer engineer John Martellaro, STEMBoard is a technology solutions company that creates smart systems and software solutions for government and large-scale private sector clients. For more information, visit www.stemboard.com.

About INROADS
Founded in 1970, INROADS develops and places talented underserved youth in business and industry, preparing them for corporate and community leadership that effects community renewal and social change and elevates economic status and quality of life. Throughout its history, INROADS has placed students in over 127,000 paid internships with over 1,000 corporate partners. Currently, INROADS serves nearly 1,500 interns, 90 high school students and 230 corporate clients. To learn more, visit www.INROADS.org.

SOURCE INROADS Inc.

Related Links

http://www.inroads.org