The Island Institute announced a new award of almost $800,000 from the National Science Foundation for a two-year extension of its Community for Rural Education, Stewardship & Technology (CREST) program. Launched in 2005, CREST currently provides hands-on Information Technology (IT) education and IT career-awareness opportunities to nearly 100 teachers and students from 11 middle and high schools serving Maine’s island and remote coastal communities. Beginning in June 2008, the additional funds will also expand CREST to include a Downeast cohort of schools and a new collegiate partner, the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor.
“This award is a reflection of the hard work that our students and teachers are doing to master technology skills,” commented Philip Conkling, the Institute’s president. “The $1.2 million in initial funding from the NSF has already allowed the CREST team to provide some intensive training, but it’s the participants who are taking this knowledge back to their communities and using it to address important local issues. We’re all excited about being able to continue and expand this groundbreaking program.”
CREST’s three technology focus areas, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), website design and digital ethnography, place database-management skills — the foundation of IT careers — in real-world contexts. Participants capture their community’s history on iMovie through interviews with local elders; gather satellite imagery with GPS units to create island trail maps or resource guides; and design user-friendly websites that bring film, maps and stories together. q
— Cyrus Moulton