Snapshots 2001: A Yearbook for DO-IT Participants

Welcome to DO-IT Snapshots 2001!

Congratulations DO-IT Scholars, Pals, Ambassadors, and Mentors! Your efforts in supporting one another resulted in DO-IT winning The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. In fall of 1997, I accepted the award on your behalf at the White House. We also received the National Information Infrastructure Award in 1995, the Golden Apple Award in 1999, and the AHEAD (Association for Higher Education And Disability) Exceptional Program Award in 2001.

Scholars are high school students with disabilities who are preparing for college. They have interests in challenging fields that include science, engineering, mathematics, technology, and business. They attend Summer Study programs at the University of Washington in Seattle and communicate via the Internet year-round. More high school students with disabilities, the DO-IT Pals, join this electronic community. DO-IT Scholars who graduate from high school and move on to college or work become DO-IT Ambassadors, sharing their experiences with younger Pals and Scholars. This electronic community is also supported by DO-IT Mentors. Most DO-IT Mentors have disabilities themselves and are pursuing postsecondary studies or are employed.

Primary funding for DO-IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Education. Additional grants and gifts have been received from the AOL Foundation, the Boeing Company, the Braitmayer Foundation, Dynamac Corporation, the Jeld-Wen Foundation, Microsoft, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, NASA, NEC Foundation of America, the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation, the Seattle Foundation, the Telecommunications Funding Partnership, and Qwest. The University of Washington also contributes substantial resources to this project.

This publication facilitates communication between DO-IT participants. The Phase I Scholars included in this album began the program in 2001; Phase II Scholars started in 2000; and Ambassadors joined DO-IT in earlier years. Participants submitted their autobiographies via electronic mail and the publication was created using computers during Summer Study 2001.

Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.
Director, DO-IT
College of Engineering/Computing & Communications/College of Education