“The Techbridge club has been wonderful for my daughter. She…counts the days until the next meeting and mourns the periods of school vacation because there is no Techbridge.” - parent of Techbridge student
About Us
What is Techbridge?
Techbridge is an after-school and summer program designed to encourage girls in technology, science, and engineering. The program was started in Oakland, CA and has expanded to other communities, including other school districts and the California School for the Blind in Fremont. Originally funded by the National Science Foundation, Techbridge has reached over 2000 girls since its founding in 2000 through after-school programs and summer programs, which incorporate hands-on projects, career exploration activities, and academic and career quidance. The program continues to build on its successes through expansion to new schools and partnerships.
Ongoing evaluations play a vital part in continually improving and refining the program at each of Techbridge's program sites. For more information on outcomes and results, please visit: Highlights of Techbridge's Successes.
History of Techbridge
From 2000-2004, Chabot Space & Science Center hosted Techbridge programs at 11 elementary, middle, and high schools in Oakland and Berkeley, California and also at the California School for the Blind in Fremont. During this time, Techbridge was funded in large measure by the National Science Foundation. Autodesk, Inc., the City of Oakland, the Oakland-Piedmont branch of the American Association of University Women, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation provided additional financial support.
In 2004 , Techbridge teamed up with the University of Maryland Baltimore County and the Shriver Center to launch ESTEEM (Enhancing Science & Technology Education & Exploration Mentoring), which impacted over 300 girls in underserved areas of Baltimore.
Going Forward
A grant from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation supported Techbridge after-school programs from 2004 -2007 and helped us expand to new schools in underserved areas. In addition, the generous support of S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation has supported the Techbridge Summer Academy and Techbridge after-school programs through 2008.
A bridge between middle school and high school "Techbridge comes at a critical time in girls' development," comments Project Director, Linda Kekelis. "Girls have many important decisions to make in middle school and high school, but don’t always receive the academic guidance they need." Techbridge supports girls by teaching them technical and scientific skills and most importantly, helping them plan for the next steps to college and careers.
