JWU to Host Picademy Computer Training Workshop

JWU to Host World Educators for Raspberry Pi Computer Training
First time offered in Northeast to expand computing experience of educators

Providence, RI – May 10, 2017 | Johnson & Wales University (JWU) has been selected by the Raspberry Pi Foundation to host the first Picademy USA computing training session in the Northeast from June 5-9, 2017. Eighty educators, levels K-12, from the United States and abroad, will participate in two-day sessions held June 5-6 and June 8-9 at the university’s new John J. Bowen Center for Science and Innovation. Previous Picademies in the United States have been held in Mountain View, California; Baltimore, Maryland; and Austin, Texas.

“Johnson & Wales University's commitment to education and its enthusiastic support of our mission made them a natural partner to help upskill educators locally and from all over the country,” said Matt Richardson, executive director of Raspberry Pi FoundationNorth America. “The Picademy workshop is our premier educator training program and is an opportunity for the most enthusiastic and engaged educators to get hands-on with computers and digital making. We’re looking forward to providing this unique educator experience and a continued collaboration with Johnson & Wales University.”

Each two-day training session will have 40 educators from across the United States and other parts of the world. Twenty-nine of the accepted applicants are from Rhode Island. Other US applicants will travel fromConnecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Vermont. International trainees will travel from Singapore; New Delhi, India; and Quebec.

Members of JWU’s School of Engineering & Design faculty will also participate in this year’s training, and Johnson & Wales students will have the opportunity in between sessions to demonstrate how JWU uses the software in its Innovation Lab.

At the end of the two-day workshop, participants will become Raspberry Pi Certified Educators and join a community of over 1,000 other educators worldwide.

“The John J. Bowen Center for Science and Innovation at Johnson & Wales University is an ideal venue for innovative training sessions, like Picademy USA, that help educators equip students with the computing and technology skills needed to compete in today’s workforce,” said Frank Tweedie, dean of the JWU School of Engineering & Design. “ JWU is contributing to the STEM workforce by providing a forum that presents educators with the skills and knowledge to prepare students for their post-secondary education.”

MEDIA CONTACT: Ryan Crowley, communications & media relations specialist, 401-598-2752, ryan.crowley@jwu.edu

_{About Johnson & Wales University: Founded in 1914, Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with more than 15,000 graduate, undergraduate and online students at its four camp uses in Providence, RI; North Miami, Fla.; Denver, Colo.; and Charlotte, NC. An innovative educational leader, the university offers degree programs in arts and sciences, business, culinary arts, design and engineering, education, health and wellness, hospitality, nutrition and physician assistant studies. Its unique model integrates arts and sciences and industry-focused education with work experience and leadership opportunities, inspiring students to achieve professional success and lifelong personal and intellectual growth. The university’s impact is global, with alumni from 123 countries pursuing careers worldwide. For more information, visit www.jwu.edu.}

_{About the Raspberry Pi Foundation: The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charity which works to put the power of digital making into the hands of people all over the world. Since launching its first product in February 2012, it has sold over twelve million Raspberry Pi computers and helped jumpstart a global movement to get more people involved in computing and digital making. The charity has trained thousands of educators and engaged hundreds of thousands of young people in its educational programs, including a network of over 10,000 Code Clubs. The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s free educational resources are used by millions of people every year. For more information, visit www.raspberrypi.org.}