State Sen. LeAnna Washington started the initiative in 2007 with the hopes that it would motivate and encourage young people to take advantage of the growing opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math-related industries.

The event, held at Temple’s Howard Gittis Student Center, exposed young people to the critical-thinking and technology skills necessary to successfully compete in the 21st century. It was sponsored by the Mayor’s Commission on Technology, the School District of Philadelphia’s Secondary Robotics Initiative, and Temple’s Fox School of Business, College of Engineering and College of Science and Technology, in addition to Washington.

“I am very thankful towards Temple for this opportunity to bring so many young people to a college campus,” Washington said. “The day was full of activities planned to help Philadelphia’s youth understand the importance of science, technology, engineering and math to their bright futures.”

The day included exhibits, robotic and multimedia demonstrations, workshops and talks by experts in the technology and sciences fields.

Susette VanDunk, a teacher and robotics advisor at University City High School in West Philadelphia, said her students were completely engaged throughout the day.

“The Technology Symposium is an absolutely marvelous event. I wish that every student had the opportunity to experience it,” VanDunk said. “My students were fascinated. I did not see one bored face the entire day.”

In its second year, the Technology Symposium was enhanced with the addition of a business plan competition. Hosted by the Fox School’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI), teams of two to four students collaborated, with the help of their teachers, to produce a five-page business plan addressing a technology-oriented market problem or business opportunity. Each student team received coaching assistance from the Minority Angel Investor Network, an investment organization that invests in the companies of minority entrepreneurs while also providing mentoring and other support.

“The objective of the competition was to expose Philadelphia students to the practical applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, higher education and entrepreneurship,” said Carole I. Smith, executive director of the Mayor’s Commission on Technology. “Student teams were responsible for drafting business plans focused on a technology need they identified in their communities.”

More than 10 schools from the Philadelphia School District registered to compete in the competition, including Robert Vaux, Martin Luther King, Murrel Dobbins, Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology, John Bartram, Overbrook, Germantown, Washington, High School of the Future, and University City. Winners were selected by a panel of entrepreneur and venture financing professionals according to the commercial viability of their venture based on the target market and business sustainability. Prizes ranged from $200 to $500.

“By inspiring, motivating and encouraging students from the Philadelphia School District to consider becoming technology entrepreneurs, while helping them control their careers, create wealth and stay local, the competition is a good investment of our time and money,” said Chris Pavlides, the executive director of IEI.

The winners of the competition were 11th-grader Tanzin Fatima and 10th-grader Ajin Fatima from University City High School, mentored by math teacher Scott Koehler, for their project TalkActive, a foreign language translator. Taking second place were 12th-grader Janice Robinson and 11th-grader Lasheree Snyder from Overbrook High School, mentored by math teacher Vicki Baker, with their project Safe Watch, a wristband with a GPS chip. In third place were 10th-graders William Yugga, Avery Marton, Shakira Pringel and Arthur Chandler from Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology, mentored by business teachers Mark Shay and Marcia Henderson, for their Hi-Tech Kids 24-hour Child Daycare.

The winners’ idea was inspired by their move to America seven months ago from South Asia.

“The translator will help those who move to another country like we did,” Tanzin Fatima said. “We learned so much through this project and loved being able to express our ideas.”

According to Don Heller, assistant dean of the College of Engineering, the event will surely be an annual occurrence. “The College of Engineering and Temple University welcome the opportunity to expose students to engineering, technology, and entrepreneurship,” he said. “This is the second year of this excellent program, which we plan to continue well into the future with the help of Sen. Washington.”

—Written by Rachel Knorr for the Fox School of Business