President Honors Project for Helping Students with Disabilities

Tim Scamporinno, who lost the use of his legs in a swimming accident, says that the AAAS program, ENTRY POINT! served as "the bridge that has allowed me to rise above the discrimination and closed the gap between being a student and becoming a professional."

ENTRY POINT! Director Virginia Stern was recently awarded the sixth annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.

He says that his success -- he now works as a computer programmer for IBM in San Jose, CA -- and that of other young disabled scientists and engineers, is due in great part to the dedication of ENTRY POINT! director Virginia Stern, whose program was recently awarded the sixth annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.

ENTRY POINT!, a AAAS-sponsored internship program in science and technology for students with disabilities, places interns in industry and US government agencies. Stern, who is also director of the AAAS Project on Science, Technology and Disability, was one of ten individuals and ten institutions honored at a 12 December ceremony in Washington, DC, for their work in promoting participation among women, minorities and persons with disabilities in scientific and engineering careers.

The mentoring awards, which are administered and funded through the NSF, recognize a long-term commitment to providing opportunities for greater participation in science and engineering by all Americans. The awards honor those whose personal and organizational activities have increased participation of underrepresented groups in mathematics, engineering and science.

"Students with disabilities in engineering and science, who have had to be problem-solvers because of every day barriers in their lives, bring extraordinary insight and creativity to their studies and careers," says Stern. "Employers now come to AAAS to introduce them to this pool of talent." (Read about experiences of an ENTRY POINT! intern.)

The awards go to institutions and individuals who work with students in K-12, undergraduate or graduate level education. Each honoree receives a $10,000 grant and a commemorative presidential certificate.

More information on the ENTRY POINT! program is available at the following address: http://www.entrypoint.org.

-- Coimbra Sirica