UCM Lee’s Summit and Urban TEC to Host Brothers In Technology Conference

By Janice Phelan, April 23, 2019

The University of Central Missouri (UCM) Gigabit Lab and Urban TEC will host the Brothers In Technology (BIT) Conference from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 15 at the Missouri Innovation Campus. Registration and breakfast will begin at 8 a.m.

The BIT Gathering  is an event designed to expose, educate and engage urban boys, ages 13-18, with technology to bridge the digital literacy divide and to encourage their pursuit of STEAM - science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics - careers through hands-on experiences and workshops.

Workshops will include computer-aided design (CAD), robotics, coding/programming, virtual reality, circuit boards, audioengineering and more. Sponsors include the University of Central Missouri, Kansas City Economic Development Corporation, UMB Bank, Honeywell, Kansas City Public Schools Mentoring, DeBruce Foundation and GBA.

The BIT Gathering will be held the Missouri Innovation Campus, a state-of-the-art, high-tech facility, housing UCM undergraduate completion and graduate degrees as well as professional education. Through a unique partnership, the building is also home to Summit Technology Academy, operated by the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District and serving high schools within a number of other area school districts.

Middle and high school boys from throughout the metropolitan area are invited to attend for a  unique experience. The Missouri Innovation Campus is located at  1101 NW Innovation Parkway in Lee’s Summit.

The UCM Gigabit Lab is designed for growth-oriented companies and innovators and helps them develop products designed primarily in the education, cyber and healthcare vertical. The focus is on education, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, workforce and healthcare applications that can be deployed to students and teachers in K-12 grades and UCM degree and certificate programs.

For more information, contact Ina P. Montgomery, M.Ed., founder and executive director of Urban TEC, at kcbitgathering@gmail.com or (816) 533-5693.