LI Science Center to Partner with Robotics Company
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Innovate LI
Riverhead Local
Riverhead News-Review
Riverhead Councilwoman Jodi Giglio
Brings Together ULC Robotics & Long Island Science Center for Innovative
Public Private Partnership to Develop Calverton Advanced Technology Workforce
(Riverhead, NY, December 9, 2019)
Councilwoman Jodi Giglio has facilitated an Innovative Public Private Partnership that joins together The Long Island Science Center https://www.sciencecenterli.org/ and ULC Robotics https://ulcrobotics.com/ to create curriculum and programs that will develop advanced technology skills for Long Island youth to enter the new technology workforce.
Initially ULC Robotics, a Hauppauge-based robotics and technology development company, will focus support on robotics, drones, 3D printing and Augmented Reality programs that incorporate and assist existing Long Island Science Center programs. ULC Robotics support includes on site classes, mentoring, field trips to the ULC Robotics research and development facility, Riverhead School engagement and on-site programs for area homeless shelters.
Riverhead Town Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, who facilitated the introduction of ULC to the Long Island Science Center, said “I look at my efforts as an elected official to help all of Long Island’s youth with particular focus on those that are residents of the Town of Riverhead. I am dedicated to advance and support our youth by creating a path to high paying local jobs that will provide youth with options to raise a family here.”
“I am so proud to have brought together the Long Island Science Center and ULC Robotics on this collaboration to achieve our mutual goals to provide the beginnings of a workforce pipeline for our Calverton Advanced Technology hub,” she stated. “I would like to continue to partner with ULC Robotics, the Science Center, and other partners to help advance the amazing future of robotics and technology for our talented youth and population here in the Town of Riverhead. I am very excited for our next project! The future is looking very bright!”
“As technological innovation continues to play a critical role in both the local and global economies, we need to foster curiosity and excitement surrounding STEM,” said Gregory Penza, CEO & Founder of ULC Robotics. “By working with Councilwoman Giglio and The Long Island Science Center, our goal is to help spark creativity and engage in children from a young age, allowing them to establish a passion for technology that can translate into lifelong careers.”
"We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity this partnership will provide to broaden our curricula," Cailin Kaller, Executive Director of Long Island Science Center, added, "and we look forward to working with private partners and community organizations to get as much student participation as possible in these innovative, new programs. Not enough children pursue STEM: By high school, only 36% of boys and 11% of girls are interested in STEM. Research conducted on behalf of Junior Achievement and Ernst & Young released in 2017 shows 91% of teenagers ages 13-17 know what kind of job they want after they graduate from high school. This is a problem for education and the future workforce. We need STEM education to develop the next generation of innovators and to train our future workforce. Breaking down STEM barriers and sparking early interest is essential.”
Tia Fulford of The Butterfly Effect Project https://www.bepgirls.org/ stated "we are super excited to be included on this life changing experience that the Science Center is giving us." The Butterfly Effect Project is just one organization that the Science Center has partnered with. Fulford stated "In a world where girls are having to fight a little harder to be seen, heard, and respected it is incredible that The Butterfly Effect Project is being given this opportunity to crush stigma and explore the endless possibilities of what science and their mind can muster up."
About ULC Robotics
ULC Robotics, Inc. is a leading Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) solutions provider and developer for the energy industry, transforming the way that vital infrastructure is maintained and operated. Our diverse team of engineers, sensor scientists, unmanned system pilots, and field operators provide end-to-end solutions for real-world applications across a variety of environments. The deployment of ULC’s robotic systems and unmanned aerial systems helps utilities lower operating costs while minimizing their impact on customers and the environment.
About the Long Island Science Center
Founded in 1990, the Long Island Science Center offers a wide array of STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Art & Math) programming both to the public and to school groups. The current location offers 2,000 square feet of exhibition and classroom space and is available for private rental. The museum staff travel all over Long Island to provide programming in schools and libraries, as well as for organized groups. The Long Island Science Center has provided STEAM curricula to over 345,000 children and continues to offer more than thirty BOCES reimbursable programs in both English and Spanish that also meet Next Generation Learning Standards.
For more information, visit:
https://www.sciencecenterli.org/