In his blog post yesterday, Wim Elfrink shared the recent news that the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina and the State University of New York (SUNY) will join The Global STEM Alliance. Since I had someone ask me this week -"what exactly IS the Global STEM Alliance?", here are the basics.

Unveiled last month at the Internet of Things (IoT) World Forum in Barcelona, Spain, The Global STEM Alliance is a joint initiative founded by The New York Academy of Sciences (the Academy) and Cisco. This initiative recognizes the importance of working together, in both physical and virtual communities, to bring Internet of Things (IoT)-based curriculum resources, local and remote mentorship, and access to universities to the next generation of entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators around the world.

Designed to inspire engagement, passion, and aptitude in STEM subjects, the Alliance provides programming for a range of ages, from primary school students to work-ready professionals. The Alliance works closely  with individual communities to customize offerings, so that they best serve local needs. Examples include:

• Transformational mentoring between young scientists and school-age children
• Activities for targeting the gifted and talented, including workshops, online classes, and research experiences
• Support for female graduate and post-graduate students such as networking events and partnership opportunities
• Cisco Network Academy IoT courses and certifications that map to growing IT careers

Want to learn more? Check out yesterday's blog post or the press release here.