Great Minds in STEM Partners with STEM Community Council of Arlington, TX

    MONTEREY PARK, CA, April 28, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Great Minds in STEM (GMiS) is proud to announce a partnership with the STEM Community Council of Arlington, TX in a city-wide celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) the week of April 27th through May 1st , 2015. The week-long activities will commence at James Martin High School where Mayor Robert Cluck will present the Council with a City Proclamation in honor of STEM Week and the Councils efforts to promote college and career opportunities in STEM for the Arlington community.

As part of STEM Week and made possible by the generous support from the General Motors Foundation, GMiS will bring its nationally acclaimed Viva Technology Education Program to Carter Junior High School in Arlington, TX. Designed to engage students, parents and teachers in STEM project based activities that stimulate their interest in the applications of technology, the Viva Technology Program provides guidance awareness, inspiration and motivation towards STEM career pathways.

A Teacher Orientation and a Parent Orientation will be held on Wednesday, April 29th. The Teacher Orientation will provide information and materials that acquaint teachers with Viva Technology and affords them educational resources so they can continue to encourage their students to pursue STEM degrees and careers. The Parent Orientation will lend information to help parents encourage their children to excel in math and science and envision themselves as future engineers and scientists.

On Thursday, April 30th, approximately 120 middle school students will take part in the Viva Technology Student Day where they will experience a full day of STEM project-based exercises that challenge their understanding of the Engineering and Science Design Process. Local STEM college students from the University of Texas at Arlington and from surrounding colleges and universities will serve as college near peer mentors, guiding student teams through various challenges posed to them throughout the day.

Teachers, parents and students participating in the various program components will have the opportunity to have meaningful interactions with representatives from the General Motors Hispanic Initiative Team and the General Motors Arlington facility, whose leadership efforts are supporting all STEM Week activities in the City of Arlington.

Great Minds in STEM, is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles County. GMiS is proud to celebrate 26 years of keeping America technologically strong through the delivery of national science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) awareness programs for students, parents and teachers in underserved communities; providing opportunities for the academic and career development of underrepresented students and professionals in STEM; and honoring the excellent contributions of our nation's Hispanic engineers and scientists. With a national presence through its education programs as well as its college and professional offerings, the organization is working to ensure that the U.S. maintains its status as the world's technology leader. For more information, please contact Julie Magallanes-Guevara, Manager of Public Affairs at (213) 435-9934 or (323) 262-0997 ext. 628 and visit the Great Minds in STEM website at www.greatmindsinstem.org.

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