Grant funding programs linking high school to higher education at historic HBCU BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- With a $50,000 Building Education grant from Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will begin to launch a timely series of coursework and other programs designed to seed and foster academic excellence in professional disciplines associated with architectural/engineering and building energy management through its College of Engineering. A portion of the grant will also be used to fund three $5,000 scholarships for incoming freshman entering the College of Engineering. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO) The $50,000 check was presented during a small ceremony attended by College of Engineering, Civil Architectural, Agricultural and Environmental (CAAE) students and faculty at the school's ELITE student center. Specifically the grant will finance the launch and support of the following for the department: -- CAAE High School Curriculum Program $18,000 -- CAAE Recruitment Program $7,000 -- Siemens Building Technologies Scholarships $15,000 -- Center of Energy Research and Technology (CERT) Lab Upgrades $5,000 -- Energy Day at the North Carolina A & T campus $3,000 -- CERT Summer Camp $2,000 "With a little financial stimulus from the private sector, North Carolina A&T will be able to enhance and sustain its efforts to forward a progressive and practical academic agenda," says Building Education Program director Charley Cohen. "Energy engineering is a cross-functional discipline that students will find extremely rewarding as they progress. Faculty will also find it equally rewarding with course work that can be applied to every building on campus." Siemens Building Technologies Building Education program is active nationwide supporting STEM initiatives and green curricula development. The goal is to provide students opportunities that will lead to careers in energy-related fields, including environmental and energy engineering as well as 21st century green technician jobs. The program partners with professional and philanthropic organizations such as the Association for Career Technical Education and the Ford Motor Company Fund. One of the nation's leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), North Carolina A&T State University is classified as a Carnegie Research University (High Research Activity) and recognized as the top producer of African American engineers and technologists. The university's history as one of only eighteen 1890 land-grant universities is reflected in agriculture, animal science, environmental science, engineering and technology. North Carolina A & T also has a rich civil rights legacy, and its students, especially the Greensboro Four, are credited with beginning the sit-in movement in the 1960's. A&T became a constituent university of the University of North Carolina system in 1972; providing expanded opportunities for research, study, diversity in the student population and physical plant improvements. As a leading provider of energy and environmental solutions, building controls, fire safety and security systems solutions, Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., makes buildings comfortable, safe, secure and less costly to operate. With U.S. headquarters in Buffalo Grove, Ill., Siemens Building Technologies employs 7,400 people and provides a full range of services and solutions from more than 100 locations coast-to-coast. Worldwide, the company has 28,000 employees and operates from more than 500 locations in 51 countries. For more information on Siemens Building Technologies, visit: http://www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070904/SIEMENSLOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Siemens Building Technologies, Inc. CONTACT: Steven E. Kuehn, +1-847-941-6047, Web Site: http://www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies

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