Making math love Pensacola's passion


  • October 1, 2015
  • /   Shannon Nickinson
  • /   education

We’d better learn to love new math.

Or any math for that matter if we are to truly capitalize on technology-based jobs that we — and hundreds of other communities — covet.

As we look at things like the labor force participation rate, the household per capita income, the high school graduation rate, the number of people with bachelor’s degrees — all metrics in the Studer Community Institute’s Pensacola Metro Dashboard — it can seem like number overload.

Both those numbers are the key to our future. As parents, as entrepreneurs, and as a community we need to know the message they broadcast to the world about us.

Today Escambia County Commissioner Doug Underhill will speak at a Careers in Technology event at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

The meetup, co-hosted by Innovation Coast and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society, will be the first in a series of such gatherings. Organizers say they hope the event will encourage more people to pursue careers in technology, and connect those who do with industry leaders.

“The tech industry is the wave of the future for America,” Underhill said in a news release. “If we’re still chasing down the last generation's jobs, then we’re just not going to have much of an economic development boom in our community.”

Careers in Technology panel

Doug Underhill’s remarks will be followed by a panel discussion featuring a who’s-who of local business leaders. Panelists will include Paul Carney, manager of talent acquisition for Navy Federal Credit Union; Harry Huelsbeck, a cybersecurity analyst with Northrop Grumman Corp.; Lanessa Hunter, a software tester with IBM; and Vernon Niven, a veteran tech entrepreneur.

Underhill, a former Naval officer who worked in cybersecurity, has made it his mantra that jobs based in these fields can — and should — be the building blocks of our economic future.

He was part of the group that put on CyberThon, which showed high school students the employment potential in cybersecurity, technology and science-related fields. The proceeds, which this year were some $37,000, will benefit STEM scholarships and training opportunities for young people.

He also speaks passionately about the role those jobs can play in bringing back neighborhoods such as Warrington, whose proximity to Corry Station makes it an ideal cyberhub, Underhill says.

Over in Belmont-DeVilliers the University of West Florida Innovation Institute is hosting a CoderDojo programming class for kids ages 7-17.

CoderDojo establishes free, nonprofit coding clubs and sessions for elementary, middle and high school students. There are some 440 clubs in 43 countries. Pensacola’s dojo is the first in northern Florida, with other clubs in Tampa and Miami.

It is part of the Innovation Institute’s efforts to hook students early on the beauty of science, technology, engineering and math.

The UWF Innovation Institute CoderDojo program has the support of community partners, including AppRiver, Beck Properties, Silver Bullet and GBSI, to act as faculty and mentors for students.

CoderDojo programming classes will be held at the Innovation Institute, located at 321 N. DeVilliers St. in downtown Pensacola, every Monday, beginning Sept. 21 through Dec. 14.

To register for classes, visit the CoderDojo Pensacola Facebook at facebook.com/coderdojopensacola. Classes are limited to 20 students and are open for registration after each class is completed. For additional information about the global CoderDojo movement, visit coderdojo.com

“Championing and leading the CoderDojo Pensacola club for the second year allows UWF Innovation Institute to provide a free experience for young people in this community to learn to program and write code,” said Dr. Dave Dawson of the Innovation Institute. “Our ninjas don’t just learn how to program a computer. They learn critical thinking skills and teamwork, which is very important for future careers in information technology and cybersecurity. Our goal is to spark interest with young students who otherwise may not have this opportunity.”

Andy why does that matter?

Because based on our students score on state standardized tests, we have a long row to hoe.

 
{{business_name}}Percentage of students in fifth and eighth grades who were proficient and math and science on the FCAT 2.0 state standardized test for 2014. Source: Florida Department of Education data.

Percentage of students in fifth- and eighth-graders who were proficient and math and science on the FCAT 2.0 state standardized test for 2014. Source: Florida Department of Education data.

 

Half of Escambia’s fifth graders were proficient in math and science in 2014. Our neighbors in Santa Rosa saw proficiency rates of 69 in math and 62 in science.

FCAT has given way to the Florida Standards Assessment, a test that fell upon students in a cloud of controversy. What will be considered a score of proficiency has yet to be finalized.

So the 2014 data is what we’ve got to go on. And it’s not pretty, friends.

Are coding classes and career showcases small efforts to tackle the big problem of workforce readiness, which in the 21st century needs to start in elementary school, math literacy and economic development?

You bet.

But small steps are better than standing still.  

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