NYIT Joins President Barack Obama in Challenge to Educate More Engineers

Capitol Hill is abuzz with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) advocates this week, including Nada Marie Anid, Ph.D. (pictured above, wearing glasses), dean of NYIT's School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, who met with members of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy today as part of the unveiling of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenge Scholars program. NYIT is one of 122 U.S. schools participating in the new initiative, which calls for graduating 20 students per year through the Grand Challenge Scholars or similar program.

Dean Anid confirmed NYIT's formal commitment via a letter presented on March 23 to President Barack Obama, the same day he announced $240 million in private-sector STEM pledges at a science fair hosted by the White House and reported in The New York Times. Both the NAE Grand Challenge Scholars program and the latest round of corporate philanthropy bring momentum to Obama's "Educate to Innovate" plan supporting STEM studies since 2009.

NYIT is one of two colleges on Long Island and one of four in New York State pledging to support students as they tackle some of the most important STEM challenges of the 21st century (various participants are pictured above). Read more and view the following map of schools courtesy of NAE.