GMS recognized by S.T.E.M. Education Awards

ATLANTA - The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG-Ed) have announced the finalists for the first annual S.T.E.M. Education Awards, and a Cumming school is one of them. In addition, Gainesville Middle School has been recognized.

These awards were created to recognize and celebrate schools, extracurricular programs, public-private partnerships, science agencies and post-secondary education outreach programs for outstanding efforts and achievement in supporting and promoting science, technology, engineering, and math education in Georgia.

"We applaud each of this year's finalists for their extraordinary efforts to bolster awareness about the importance of STEM and for their hard work to increase student participation in science, technology, engineering and math programs," said Michael Robertson, director of TAG-Ed. "Georgia will need to fill some 211,000 STEM-related jobs by 2018, so we are pleased to showcase so many great schools, programs and organizations that are helping to develop a strong future workforce for our state. "

The following are finalists for the 2012 awards.

High School
· Carrollton High School, Carrolton
· Central Education Center, Inc. (CEC), Newnan
· Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology (GSMST), Lawrenceville
· Kennesaw Mountain High School, Kennesaw
· Ware County High School, Waycross
· Wheeler High School, Marietta

Middle School
· Atlanta Girls' School, Atlanta
· Carrollton Middle School, Carrollton
· Marietta Center for Advanced Academics (MCAA), Marietta
· St. Andrew's School, Savannah

Public-Private Partnership
· ADP's partnership with the Augusta Technical College, Augusta State University and Paine College, Augusta
· Cisco's partnership with GSMST, Lawrenceville
· IBM's partnership with the Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta
· Southwire's partnership with Carrollton High School, Carrollton
· Pratt & Whitney's partnership with Columbus Technical College and Muscogee and Harris school districts, Columbus
· Georgia Power's partnership with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Savannah-Chatham County

Extracurricular Program
· Direct to Discovery (D2D), Waycross
· Explorer Post Program, Savannah
· Girls Get IT (GTIT), Metro Atlanta
· IEEE Atlanta Women in Engineering, Atlanta
· Walton Robotics, Marietta
· Wheeler Science Camps, Marietta

Science Agency
· Fernbank Science Center, Atlanta
· Georgia FIRST, Cumming
· Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers (GIFT), Atlanta
· Museum of Aviation, Warner Robins
· Tellus Science Museum, Cartersville

Post Secondary Outreach
· Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah
· Columbus Technical College, Columbus
· Georgia College, Milledgeville
· Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville
· Savannah State University, Savannah
· Savannah Technical College, Savannah

Honorable mentions will also be given to Dooly High School (Vienna), Brownie/Girl Scout Troop 30180 (Savannah) and Robotics Alliance (Gainesville).

"We received more than 60 applications for our inaugural S.T.E.M. Education Awards," stated Melanie Brandt, chief operating officer for TAG. "This is TAG's first signature event outside of Atlanta, so we are thrilled at the enormous response and participation we've received from across the state."

Winners will be announced during a special, half-day event on September 14 at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center. To learn more, visit: http://bit.ly/STEMAwards.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is the leading technology industry association in the state, serving more than 17,800 members and hosting over 200 events each year. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 31 industry societies, each of which provides rich content for TAG constituents. TAG's mission is to educate, promote, influence and unite Georgia's technology community to foster an innovative and connected marketplace that stimulates and enhances a tech-based economy. The association provides members with access to networking and educational programs; recognizes and promotes Georgia's technology leaders and companies; and advocates for legislative action that enhances the state's economic climate for technology. Additionally, the TAG Education Collaborative (TAG's charitable arm) focuses on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG's community website at www.TAGthink.com. To learn about the TAG-Ed Collaborative visit http://www.tagedonline.org/.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/8/251342