Nepris Makes It Easy for Companies to Engage Students in STEM
San Jose, CA (PRWEB) March 10, 2014 -- Every day through Nepris, students are meeting STEM professionals from around the country without having to leave their classrooms. Nepris connects schools with the companies and professionals who work in STEM, giving students first-hand experiences in science, technology, engineering and math.
A U.S. Department of Commerce report, one among many, states that job growth in STEM will outpace growth in other sectors and yet, companies express concern about the shortage of workers able to fill those jobs. Creating opportunities for students to see and interact with STEM professionals early on can help bridge this gap, but these interactions don’t happen as often as needed to keep students engaged.
One solution is Nepris, which introduces students to people working in STEM fields, bringing real-world relevance to the classroom while also make curriculum connections to standards. Through Nepris, professionals and educators work together to create interactive online discussions that take place in the classroom virtually. Professionals use videos, slides, show-and-tell and direct discussion to link classroom lessons to real-world applications. In some cases, the professional or a panel of experts mentor students on projects or evaluate final projects to provide real-time feedback. In every situation, the connection between professional and classroom is uniquely dynamic, driven by the teacher’s needs and the professional’s excitement.
“Nepris removes the barriers of space and time that prevent many professionals from reaching out to classrooms. We have students meeting professionals who live and work thousands of miles away, even in rural schools where lack of industry access is an even greater factor,” said Sabari Raja, Nepris CEO and founder. “We guide the professional through every step and also make sure the teacher has everything needed to make these face-to-face interactions so successful that students get excited about STEM.”
During one Nepris session, middle school students from two schools talked with an industrial engineer from General Motors who drew parallels between force and motion in building a mousetrap car in class and the same concepts used in automobile manufacturing. In another Nepris session, Sandy Hanebrink from Touch the Future talked with fifth-grade students about access and inventions for people with disabilities.
The presenter-audience tables were turned during a session with McKinney High School in Texas. Engineering teacher, Pam McBride arranged a virtual panel session for students to present recycling machines they designed in class. Professionals from Frito-Lay and Samsung Semiconductor evaluated the projects and gave constructive feedback for engineering improvements.
“Sometimes, a chance to talk and interact directly with a professional can be the most influential event, perhaps the only event in a student’s life that motivates them to choose a career in engineering or other STEM-related field,” said Ben Eynon, senior director of 14nm LSI Engineering at Samsung. "With Nepris, industry professionals from companies like ours can ignite students' motivations toward the pursuit of high-tech degrees and careers by serving as tangible connections between STEM classroom studies and real-world applications.”
Nepris makes these connections possible in a way that ensures educational standards are being met while giving teachers control of time, place and speaker. Companies have a reliable platform for employees to interact with students and represent their brand. Nepris also provides companies with detailed reports to track effective employee engagement in the classroom.
Professionals can see a demo and signup at Nepris.com. Companies can sponsor schools or districts. Individual teachers from elementary, middle or high schools can sign up for free anytime-access to pre-recorded sessions. School, district or classroom licenses are also available.
Note to the Media: B-roll is available now. Interviews with teachers and professionals using Nepris may be arranged upon request to Jennifer Harrison at jennifer(at)JHarrisonPR(dot)com or 916-716-0636.
About Nepris
Dallas-based, Nepris, brings STEM to life by connecting professionals with teachers and their students. With Nepris, teachers find professionals who--through interactive, online sessions--show students how the work they do is rooted in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics being taught in school. See Nepris in action at Nepris.com/webinar or sign-up as a teacher or STEM professional.
Jennifer Harrison, J Harrison Public Relations, +1 (916) 716-0636, [email protected]
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