2017 WISE AWARDS: THREE US PROJECTS IN THE RUNNING
OPENPediactrics, PhET Interactive Simulations and the Speed School Project are among 15 finalists chosen by the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) for their innovative and impactful approaches to today’s most urgent education challenges
June 27, 2017 – PhET Interactive Simulations by the University of Colorado Boulder, the Speed School Project by the Luminos Fund and OPENPediatrics in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospitalhave been selected as three of the 15 finalist projects for the 2017 WISE Awards.
Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote innovative projects from around the world that are addressing global educational challenges.
OPENPediactrics uses medical simulation technology to help people learn how to safely provide life support to critically ill children. Run in partnership with Boston Children’s Hospital, the platform receives over 70,000 visitors per month and has been accessed from every country and territory worldwide.
PhET Interactive Simulations works to advance science and math literacy worldwide through innovative interactive simulations that support more effective and engaging education for free. The initiative was started in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman and is based within University of Colorado Boulder. PhET simulations are used over 80 million times per year.
The Luminos Fund’s Speed School enables out-of-school children to catch up to their grade level in government schools through an intensive, child-centered pedagogy for teaching basic literacy and numeracy. Since the mid-2000s, the model has been implemented in four African countries. It benefits 100,000 out-of-school children aged 9-14 years.
Dr. Jeffrey Burns, Program Co-Director, OPENPediatrics, said: “We are humbled and honored to be named a WISE Award finalist. OPENPediatrics is the world’s first, and only, knowledge exchange platform connecting doctors and nurses to bring the best care possible to critically ill children no matter where they live. This is one valuable idea worth sharing in our complicated world, and as a WISE Award finalist, OPENPediatrics has taken a big leap in further reaching out to help children in need.”
Caitlin Baron, CEO, the Luminos Fund, said: “The Luminos Fund and our partner Geneva Global are delighted that the Speed School program has been selected as a finalist for the WISE Awards. It is our core belief that the combination of patient philanthropy, committed parents and communities, dedicated learning facilitators, creative pedagogy, and the power of play, can help unlock the light in every child.”
Dr. Kathy Perkins, Director, PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder, said: “”The PhET Interactive Simulations team at University of Colorado Boulder is honored to be selected as a Finalist for the WISE Awards for our work to advance science and math education. In our vision, advancing STEM learning and literacy is key to addressing many of today’s global challenges. We are proud to see our simulations benefiting so many teachers and learners today. And we are excited for the opportunity that this recognition by WISE affords to amplify awareness of our resources and bring them to more communities worldwide.”
Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO of WISE, said: “We congratulate the Speed School Project, OPENPediactrics and PhET Interactive Simulations for making it to the finalist stage. The 2017 WISE Awards finalist projects have built effective, tested solutions to global educational challenges. Whether ensuring access to fundamental primary education or preparing young people for the 21st century workplace, each project is already transforming lives, and provides an inspirational model for other communities to adopt. This is vital to our mission at WISE, dedicated to empowerment and collaboration.”
The 15 projects come from nine countries. They were evaluated by a pre-Jury of international experts and the due diligence was conducted by independent education consultants from Parthenon-EY.
The finalists were evaluated according to strict criteria. They must be successful, innovative education projects that have already demonstrated a transformative impact on individuals, communities, and society. They must be financially stable, have a clear development plan and be scalable and replicable.
The six WISE Awards winning projects will be announced in September 2017 and celebrated at the eighth World Innovation Summit for Education, November 14-16, 2017, in Doha, Qatar. In addition to publicity and networking opportunities, each project receives $20,000 (US).
For further information, visithttps://www.wise-qatar.org/wise-awards.
About the WISE Awards:
Each year, the WISE Awards recognize and promote six successful innovative projects that are addressing global educational challenges. Since 2009, WISE has received more than over 3,000 applications from over 150 countries. To date, 48 projects from a wide variety of sectors and locations have won the WISE Awards, for their innovation, positive contribution and their potential for scalability and adaptability. These projects represent a growing resource of expertise and sound education practice. Year by year, WISE is building a community of education innovators which offers a fertile environment for ground-breaking collaboration. Today the WISE Awards network comprises pioneering projects that are helping bring real change to societies and communities.
The six winning projects will be announced in September 2017. The winners will attend the eighth World Innovation Summit for Education, November 14-16, 2017, in Doha, Qatar.
Discover the 2017 WISE Awards Finalists:www.wise-qatar.org/wise-awards-2017
About Parthenon EY:
Parthenon-EY is a strategy consultancy, committed to bringing unconventional yet pragmatic thinking together with our clients’ smarts to deliver actionable strategies for real impact in today’s complex business landscape. The Parthenon-EY Education practice has an explicit mission and vision to be the leading strategy advisor to the global education industry. To achieve this, the company invests significantly in dedicated management and team resources so that its global experience extends across public sector and not-for-profit education providers, foundations, for-profit companies and service providers, and investors. Parthenon-EY has delivered more than 1,000 education sector engagements across over 95 countries in the last 10 years. Parthenon-EY is a member of the global network of EY Firms.
The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE)
The World Innovation Summit for Education was established by Qatar Foundation in 2009 under the leadership of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. WISE is an international, multi-sectoral platform for creative, evidence-based thinking, debate, and purposeful action in education. Through the biennial summit, collaborative research and a range of on-going programs, WISE is a global reference in new approaches to education. WISE 2017 will take place in Doha on November 14-16, 2017 under the theme: “Co-Exist, Co-Create: Learning to Live and Work Together”.
For further information about WISE, visit www.wise-qatar.org
