Young student operating a simple machine created with MESA Schools support.

San José State’s MESA Schools Program works with secondary school teachers to encourage educationally disadvantaged students to pursue college degrees in science, technology engineering and math related majors.

Robot parts and computers to program the robots. Balsa wood for building bridges. Paper and pencils. A $30,000 grant from the Boston Scientific Foundation will, among other things, finance an interesting list of supplies for SJSU’s MESA group.

The MESA Schools Program, which worked with the San José State’s Corporate and Foundation Relations team to apply for the grant, was informed that it was being awarded the generous gift in October. Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices. Its products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties.

This year’s grant follows on a prior grant for $10,000. The increase in grant funding developed out of a multi-level relationship between SJSU and Boston Scientific including Spartan alumni within the company, Boston Scientific volunteer participation with MESA kids and the demonstrable success of the program.

San José State’s MESA Schools Program—its name is an acronym for Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement—has worked since 1979 with secondary school teachers in the Santa Clara Valley to encourage educationally disadvantaged students to pursue college degrees in science, technology engineering and math related majors.

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