PA receives $17 million for health IT

Harrisburg – The Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform has received more than $17 million in federal Recovery Act funds to help develop a health information “superhighway” to connect health care practitioners, patients, facilities and pharmacies through a secure network giving them the ability to have a complete record of a patient’s medical history.

“The transition to an electronic system of health records is another critical step in achieving the goals of Governor Rendell’s comprehensive Prescription for Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange, or PHIX, which is the name of our superhighway, will support patient-centered health care and improve access, quality and efficiency of care,” said Ann Torregrossa, director of the Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform.

Increased use of health IT will allow for better coordination and delivery of health care across Pennsylvania. An effective health information exchange will allow health care providers to see a patient’s entire health care story, saving valuable resources and allowing them to focus on healthcare delivery. Read the full story here.

Advanced Technological Education

With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. The program involves partnerships between academic institutions and employers to promote improvement in the education of science and engineering technicians at the undergraduate and secondary school levels. The ATE program supports curriculum development; professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers; career pathways to two-year colleges from secondary schools and from two-year colleges to four-year institutions; and other activities. Another goal is articulation between two-year and four-year programs for K-12 prospective teachers that focus on technological education. The program also invites proposals focusing on research to advance the knowledge base related to technician education.

Expected Number of Awards: 90
Estimated Total Program Funding: $64,000,000
Award Ceiling: $5,000,000
Award Floor: $70,000

Funding for MS Cloud services

[From "Be Spacific" (sic)] "Microsoft Corp. and the National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced an agreement that will offer individual researchers and research groups selected through NSF's merit review process free access to advanced cloud computing resources. By extending the capabilities of powerful, easy-to-use PC applications via Microsoft cloud services, the program is designed to help broaden research capabilities, foster collaborative research communities, and accelerate scientific discovery. Projects will be awarded and managed by NSF. More details about funding opportunities are available here."

Youth Technology Grant

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The Entertainment Software Association Foundation is dedicated to supporting positive programs and opportunities that make a difference in the lives of America's youth. The foundation seeks to harness the collective power of the interactive entertainment industry to create positive social impact in its communities. The foundation supports geographically diverse projects and programs that benefit American boys and girls of all races and religions.

To be eligible for funding, an applicant must be a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization; seek funding for a specific project or program that is or will be implemented or available nationwide or at a minimum in two or more states in the United States; serve American youth between the ages of 7 and 18; and provide programs and services that utilize technology and/or computer and video games to educate America's youth and young adults.

The grant application deadline is April 15, 2010, for projects to be implemented in 2011. Proposals received after April 15 will be considered for the subsequent funding cycle. Applications are accepted year-round and are reviewed annually in May/June. Final decisions are made in July/August for the following calendar year. First-time awardees can receive grants of up to $50,000 each.

For more information and application, visit the ESA Foundation Web site.

Dept. of Education Data Report

January 27, 2010 -- States and districts are making significant progress in building educational data systems and are starting to use that valuable data to change classroom practice and improve student achievement, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Education. But school leaders are still searching for the best models to mine the data to discover the best instructional methods for students, the report says.

In “Use of Education Data at the Local Level: From Accountability to Instructional Improvement,” researchers surveyed officials from 529 districts, conducted in-depth site visits to 36 schools in 12 districts leading the way in data usage, and analyzed secondary data from a survey of over 6,000 teachers to obtain a national picture of current data use practices at the local-level.

Technology and Media Services for Individuals With Disabilities

The goal of this funding opportunity is to support projects that engage the public in educational activities that utilize emerging and/or advanced technologies and leverage NOAA assets to improve understanding, and stewardship of the local and global environment. There is specific interest in projects that use emerging and/or advanced technologies to (1) facilitate outdoor experiences involving scientific inquiry and exploration of the natural world apart from formal K-12 curricula and (2) visualize, display, and interpret data to improve understanding and provide a systems perspective of Earth's dynamic processes. This program has two priorities. Priority 1 is for large-scale projects that occur over a longer duration with regional to national implementation. Priority 2 is for small-scale projects that occur over a shorter duration with local to regional implementation. Funded projects will be between one and five years in duration.

$7,500,000 is available, with an anticipated 10 awards. Deadline is April 6, 2010.