ACTIVITIESGifts can be designated for specific activities (see below) or provided to the Center without restrictions on its use. Center Operations The Center has a small team of core staff in charge of its day-to-day operations and organization of campus events. Tech Awards and Conference The Center provides small stipends to the Chairs of the five judging panels, in recognition of their leadership and authorship of the articles published in our Nexus magazine. Funding is needed for the annual conference that we organize to highlight the work of the Tech Awards Laureates. This conference brings together a wide range of constituencies to engage in productive dialogues. Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) This major, year-long capacity-building program for social entrepreneurs has as its major cost factor a two-week residential experience that typically takes place in August. Selected participants—all social entrepreneurs—from around the world are asked to cover their own transportation costs from and back to their home base, and the GSBI program then covers the complete $25,000 cost per participant. (This includes tuition, lodging, food, learning materials, local transportation, etc.) Social Enterprise Innovation Network (SEIN) This program got its start thanks to generous grants from the Applied Materials Foundation and the Skoll Foundation. SEIN has created an online environment designed to support the work of social entrepreneurs from around the world, putting them in touch with people, news, and resources that can help them accelerate the attainment of their goals. Additional funding is needed to expand the site's functionality in response to users’ needs and preferences, to acquire relevant learning resources (such as business case studies), and to support on-the-ground research and follow-up for a small number of projects focused on critical issues such as clean water supply. Education The Center is deeply committed to the university's new Core Curriculum, which includes an "STS Pathway" for all undergraduate students. Uniquely in the United States, this Core prepares our leaders of tomorrow to be cognizant of the complex relationships between science, technology and society in fields such as biotechnology and environmental sustainability. Resources are needed to support faculty in the design and delivery of these new, innovative courses and for the presentation of additional workshops to train additional faculty moving forward. Public Engagement in Issues of Science and Technology The Center is dedicated to organizing a variety of public events that help all our constituencies to better understand how to use science and technology for the common good. Every year we present more than 20 events ranging from symposia presentations to international conferences, all of which are free of charge thus ensuring that no one is excluded. Biotechnology Since 2006, the Center has been presenting a series of events on campus designed to highlight the importance of biotechnology to the future of Silicon Valley. Presenters have come from several major local corporations and organizations involved in biotechnology research, development, as well as the analysis of biotechnology's impact on social, political, cultural, and ethical issues. Faculty, students, and staff at SCU, eager to learn about this new field, have welcomed this series. |
 Upcoming Events
|
 |
