The Motorola Foundation’s Innovation Generation Grants were created in early 2007 to fund education programs that spark a love of science, technology, engineering and math in today’s youth.

• Wireless Integrated MicroSystems for Teens (WIMS for Teens) will receive $50,000. This two-week summer residential program for 7th- to 9th-graders is designed to hone the skills of students who may choose careers in science, math and engineering fields, specifically in Wireless Integrated MicroSystems. Microsystems are very small information-gathering nodes that gather data from the environment, interpret it and wirelessly communicate it through local or global information networks. Microsystems blend low-power embedded computing with sensing and wireless interfaces to tackle problems in the health care, energy and defense fields. The course is offered through the National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems (WIMS ERC), a partnership between the University of Michigan, MSU and Michigan Technological University. More than 1,000 students – many of them girls and minorities – have enrolled in more than 40 short courses since the center was created in September 2000.
• The Youth in Energy and Environment Humanitarian Project will receive $45,000.This program involves 3rd- to 6th-graders in a design project for the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s capstone course about energy and the environment. This semester’s project is already under way; MSU students are working with 5th- and 6th-graders at Lansing’s Woodcreek Magnet School to develop a solar-heated worm bin. For several years, the school has used a worm-based compost approach for disposing of lunch waste. But in winter, the worms hibernate and the composting stops. A solar heating system would heat the compost pile and keep the worms active. The grant will provide funding for equipment and supplies and will enable the class to travel to MSU to attend the College of Engineering’s Design Day.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs requiring science, engineering or technical training will increase by 24 percent to 6.3 million between 2004 and 2014, creating greater demand for critical thinkers fluent in technology.

For a complete list of the 106 Innovation Generation Grant recipients, visit www.motorola.com/giving.