Through an $890,000 National Science Foundation grant, Eastern Michigan University is helping 100 high school students from Detroit prepare for information technology careers in the areas of facility management andhomeland security.
EMU will use funding from the three-year grant to create the Detroit Mayor’s Youth Technology Corps (MYTC). Participants will complete a series of courses and 120 hours of practical training experience through a paid summer internship. They also get the chance to dual-enroll at EMU through its information assurance program within the School of Technology Studies. Along the way, EMU will introduce the juniors and seniors to a range of technologies, from geographic information systems (GIS) to computer forensics.
Leading the project are professors Yichun Xie and Gerald “Skip” Lawver (’73, ’87). Professor Xie, in addition to being head of EMU’s Department of Geography and Geology, is director of the University’s Institute for Geospa-tial Research and Education (IGRE). Professor Lawver is based in the College of Technology’s School of Technology Studies and is an instructor at EMU’s Center for Regional and National Security.
“The program will leverage online learning environments, online mentoring and support activities as well as direct face-to-face training to engage the students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning in an urban community-based problem-solving environment,” said Professor Xie, the grant’s director. “This sort of far-reaching effort is especially needed for students in economically disadvantaged urban areas since they generally have few experiences with information technologies in real-world situations, especially for emergency and crisis management.”
The program begins with 50 students this summer; a second 50 will enter in 2009.
After completion of the MYTC program, students will receive certification for their newly obtained skills from the Environmental Systems Research Institute, a leader in GIS modeling and mapping software and technology. Collaborating with EMU on the project are Detroit Public Schools (DPS), the City of Detroit Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and Environmental System Research Institute.
Together, they will educate students on GIS and computer emergency response team operations. The goal is to help students gain needed skills for future employment. Depending on the level of success, the program may serve as a model for involving youths in acquiring new, highly sought skills and in pursuing post-secondary educational opportunities.
The recruited students will receive about 250 hours of training and hands-on experience during the two-year period. They will be trained in GIS, information assurance and computer emergency response team operations. They also serve a summer internship with a City of Detroit department or contractor.
“There’s a tremendous need for trained minority applicants in the IT field,” said Professor Lawver. Fifteen major government agencies are pursuing minority applicants, he added.
DPS will help recruit students, find tuition matches for dual-enrollment credits and provide students academic advising. Two EMU graduate and undergraduate students will help tutor DPS students.
GIS plays a crucial role in the project and plays into EMU’s strengths as host to IGRE. GIS will serve as an important tool, not only for teaching students where and how buildings and roads are laid out, but also in helping them learn about regional and environmental issues. For example, students will see how neighborhoods are created, weather patterns occur and urban sprawl is advancing, Professor Lawver said.
Through case studies and applying GIS techniques, students will learn how to plan evacuations during disasters and other crisis situations. In the process, students will interpret math and science data, write a short paper and apply intelligence analysis to a particular region, Professor Lawver added.