On Saturday, March 28th, Teachers College and Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science will hold a kick-off event for their Harlem Schools Partnership program in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

The event, which will be held at Teachers College from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be attended by more than 100 elementary, middle and high school teachers from ten schools in northern Manhattan. Both the event – which is titled “Co-Envisioning Success in STEM” -- and the partnership are being funded by the GE Foundation and conducted in partnership with the New York City Department of Education.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. George Jenkins, one of three African American physicians who, as boyhood friends in Newark, New Jersey, made a vow to avoid the pitfalls in their surroundings and pursue careers in medicine. Their story was portrayed in the documentary, The Pact. Today Jenkins and his two friends, Sampson Davis and Rameck Hunt, build community volunteerism and leadership through their organization The Three Doctors Foundation (www.threedoctorsfoundation.org).

The five-year Harlem Partnership Program was launched in June 2008 with a $5 million GE Foundation grant. Following the March 28th event, Teachers College and Columbia Engineering faculty and graduate students will work actively in the partner schools to shape curriculum and coach teachers.

The Partnership project is led by Nancy Streim, Associate Vice President for School and Community Partnerships at Teachers College, and Jack McGourty, Associate Dean of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science and Executive Director of the Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement, or CTICE.  The Morningside Area Alliance, under Executive Director Ann McIver, serves as community partner.

To learn more about the GE Foundation, visit www.ge.com/foundation.