Four Colorado institutions: Metropolitan State College of Denver, Colorado School of Mines, Community College of Denver, and Cherry Creek School District, have formed an unprecedented alliance – the Colorado Academy for the Development of STEM-related Careers (Colorado ADSC).
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Four Colorado institutions: Metropolitan State College of Denver, Colorado School of Mines, Community College of Denver, and Cherry Creek School District, have formed an unprecedented alliance &ndash the Colorado Academy for the Development of STEM-related Careers (Colorado ADSC).
Colorado ADSC is designed to position the state as a leader in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education and to ensure that its students &ndash from kindergarten through graduate level &ndash are tapped-in and connected to cutting edge innovation.
Promoting STEM education is a national priority that many states and government officials, including Colorado Governor Bill Ritter, have embraced and even mandated.
According to founders Jeff Forrest, Chair of the Aviation and Aerospace Science Department at Metro State, and Burke Fort, Director of the 8th Continent Project at Colorado School of Mines, Colorado ADSC is “a response to the needs of Colorado employers and government officials to coordinate efforts that bolster education and interest in STEM among students of all ages.”
Colorado ADSC’s initial focus will be on aerospace, providing education, scholarships, internships, career guidance and mentoring to students desiring skills needed to build aerospace careers. Colorado ADSC will provide educational certifications and specialized training that connect its targeted learning communities to job readiness and career enhancement. Colorado ADSC will also collaborate with Colorado Workforce Centers, which will facilitate training and assist in job placement.
Forrest said, “Colorado ADSC is a community of intellectual capital and knowledge-sharing that will encourage innovation and creativity in the sciences, technology and entrepreneurship.”
“Colorado ADSC is about bridge-building,” he explained. “It is about cooperative education, from kindergarten to PhDs, that delivers the knowledge and leadership skills needed to mold scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs &ndash today and in the future &ndash who are open to collaboration and grounded in science but also inspired by invention and originality.”
The “bridge” is currently anchored on one end by the award-winning Cherry Creek School District. On the other end is the Colorado School of Mines, a world-class research university recognized in engineering and the natural sciences.
For Richard Charles, Director of the new Cherry Creek STEM Academy, being part of Colorado ADSC “fulfills our mission to inspire every student to think, to learn, to achieve, to care.”
Metro State and CCD represent the middle of the bridge. As Gudryn Doherty, Dean of Math and Science at CCD, explained, “Colorado ADSC will give our students access to courses they need to enter the Colorado technology workforce and equip them with credentials ranging from technician certifications to 4-year and graduate degrees.”
“Colorado has long been on the cutting edge of technology, especially aerospace,” said Fort. “Colorado ADSC is another example of our state’s commitment to ensuring economic vitality for its communities and bright futures for Colorado students of all ages. We hope to eventually engage all academic institutions and workforce centers within the state in this important initiative.”
