Workforce Development

The Pervasive Technology Institute (PTI) and the IU School of Informatics are essential contributors both to creating jobs and to training a 21st century workforce to fill them. The outreach efforts of PTI, in collaboration with University Information Technology Services, have reached tens of thousands of young Hoosiers. These youth have been informed and encouraged to pursue career opportunities in computer science, information technology, and other high-tech, high-quality jobs. Recent outreach activities have included:

More than 180 junior high school students learned about water quality and information technology as part of the Eagle Creek Alliance Water Quality Awareness Day. Students measured water quality using digital environmental sensors, wireless tablet computers, and a software system developed by Visualization and Interactive Spaces Lab. This system gave students instantaneous feedback about the environmental health of the streams and reservoir using wireless networking technology.

The Advanced Network Management Lab led a workshop in which 16 high school students in the Upward Bound program learned how to build and program a LEGO Mindstorms ® robot. In the process these students learned both about creativity with technology and that they had the skills to program a computer and a robot themselves.

An installation of visualization hardware at Brownsburg (IN) Challenger Center that depicts astronomical objects and images is visited by more than 10,000 young Hoosiers per year.