2016 Round 1 Mozilla Gigabit Fund grantees announced

Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund awards $134,000 to nine grantees across Chattanooga and Kansas City

Mozilla is pleased to announce the nine grant award recipients in Kansas City and Chattanooga that will receive funds from the Gigabit Community Fund. Grantees across the two cities will receive a total of $134,000 for a 16-week pilot period beginning May 16. The Gigabit Community Fund, a collaboration with National Science Foundation and US Ignite, is investing in projects that utilize gigabit technology to impact learning.

Grantees will utilize the awarded funds to build, pilot, and scale gigabit-enabled applications and associated curricula that have immediate, measurable impact on classrooms and informal learning organizations. Through these projects, Chattanooga and Kansas City will become living laboratories in which to study how these next-generation networks can impact education and workforce development.

Grantees include:

Chattanooga

  1. Cross-city Gigabit-enabled Learning Platform | Genesee Intermediate School District, Flint, MI – Platform for cyber learning, biology research, and citizen science across cities, schools, and science centers.
  2. Gigtank 4K: Scaling from Micro to Macro | The Enterprise Center – Harnessing the Gig and 4K video microscopy to create connections + collaborations for powerful STEM learning opportunities in Chattanooga and beyond.
  3. Raspberry Python Music Genie | Art 120 – Makerspace kids utilize curriculum to build Raspberry Python Air Synthesizers and then partner with the Chattanooga Ballet for a live choreographed performance.
  4. Streaming 4K Content for Learning Experiences | The Enterprise Center – 4K streaming content in ultra-HD creates engaging learning environment through enhanced access to community assets for learners in three schools and two community centers.
  5. ViatoR | Forrest Pruitt/Nicole Prebula/The Enterprise Center – ViatoR uses VR to submerge users in an immersive environment for an interactive, engaging language learning experience. Working with local education partners, ViatoR will explore how high-speed networks can make language learning more immediate, equitable, and engaging.
  6. VR Bridge | Red Bank High School – Students will develop a Virtual Reality bridge between two schools and multiple organizations through the development of 360 degree video feed utilizing the gigabit connection for the purpose of developing workforce skills in the areas of robotics and automation.

Kansas City

  1. Open Data + 3D Models | PlanIt Impact – PlanIT Impact is putting its big data + 3D modeling technology in the hands of students in Kansas City to advance sustainable design.
  2. Read2Think | Pennez – A live-­time digital assessment tool for measuring a child’s reading fluency. The application utilizes artificial intelligence technology to assess speed, vocabulary, understanding, sight word, pronunciation, and phonics recognition.
  3. SensED IoT Student Innovation Challenge | KC Social Innovation Center – A project­-based STEM program for 7­-12 graders to provide real-­world experiences in the emerging field of the Internet of Things.

The 16-week pilot periods will run from May 16 to September 4. The application period for the next round of Gigabit Community Fund grants closes on October 18 for pilots that will run from January 2 to April 24.

Cultivating Hive Learning Communities

Grantees of the Gigabit Community Fund become part of their local Gigabit Hive learning communities. Hive networks of educators, technologists, and other community stakeholders function as localized innovation clusters, working and learning together around community-driven goals. They join a growing global Hive network that includes New York City, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Toronto.

Members of the Gigabit Hive learning communities will participate in regular meetups and will share their planning, progress, lessons learned, and best practices throughout the pilot period.

How to get involved:

 

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