Why?

Community outreach has always been a natural part of work at Pervasive Technology Labs (PTL) due our mission to attract, encourage, educate and retain the workforce of tomorrow for the State of Indiana and to educate the residents of the State generally. Pervasive Technology Labs' Community Outreach Program was officially launched in 2006 to formalize PTL outreach activities and to coordinate with other Indiana University and statewide efforts to advance STEM education for Indiana students.

In light of recent National Assessment for Education Progress (NAEP) results, the State of Indiana has identified the ongoing improvement of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education as an important priority in its public schools. Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Suellen Reed commented in May, 2006 news release, "A strong understanding of the sciences is key to our students' education and our economic competitiveness as a state..." Indiana University has recently increased STEM education activities, announcing in Spring 2006 the establishment of a new Institute for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (ISTEME) with a goal to improve Hoosier literacy in STEM education for K-12 students throughout the state.