WHIN Selected As Part Of Microsoft’s National TechSpark Program To Grow Economic Opportunity In Northwest Central Indiana

 The Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN) announced today that it will be working with Microsoft TechSpark to foster inclusive economic opportunity, job creation, and innovation in the ten-county WHIN region.  With a particular focus on innovation, WHIN will use this opportunity to introduce Internet of Things (IoT) technology into school safety programming.  IoT can give teachers and administrators instant and silent access to law enforcement in emergency situations.

WHIN accomplishes its educational and research purposes by accelerating the use of IoT technology in its region. The power of smart IoT solutions to provide real time, actionable information is transforming agriculture and manufacturing.  WHIN’s TechSpark project will bring some of those benefits to schools.

The effort will be supported by a Microsoft grant to fund a TechSpark Community Engagement Fellow, WHIN VP for Engagement, Pat Corey, who will spearhead WHIN’s project as it adds a new dimension to local efforts to accomplish digital transformation.  This Fellowship represents the first time TechSpark has worked in Indiana.

Corey will work with South Montgomery School Corporation and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department to pilot a wearable silent device that adults on a K-12 school campus can use to summon law enforcement in an emergency.

“Technology is critical to the region’s growth and prosperity, and WHIN’s $6M investment in eLearning in our K-12 schools is boosting the region’s talent pipeline,” says Corey. “But technology can also make a huge contribution to the quality of life that is at the heart of prosperity.  The safety of our children and the teachers and staff in our schools is the top priority and we are very grateful to Southmont and to Montgomery County officials for leading the way on behalf of the thirty school corporations in our region.”

“Southmont is pleased to work with WHIN to implement technology at New Market Elementary School that will add another layer of safety to our security protocols,” says Dr. Chad Cripe, Superintendent of the South Montgomery Schools. “New Market is our largest elementary school, serving students in most of southwestern Montgomery County.  We also look forward to sharing the pilot with our colleagues around the region.”

The project requires close collaboration with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department.

“Our ability to protect students and teachers depends on how quickly we are alerted in an emergency,” says Montgomery County Sheriff Ryan Needham.  “But the very act of asking for help can attract the attention of someone intent on doing harm. The device that WHIN proposes can be triggered easily and silently, which is exactly what is needed. We will work with Southmont to develop procedures around the device to make New Market Elementary more secure.”

“Since we launched TechSpark in 2017, we’ve helped communities secure more than $125 million in funding and helped create thousands of jobs,” said Kate Behncken, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Philanthropies. “By expanding TechSpark to all 50 states, we hope to continue our hyperlocal, partner-driven work to help communities realize the potential of technology and foster greater economic opportunity.”

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the expansion of its TechSpark program to tackle digital inclusion in four focus areas: digital access, digital skills, computer science education, and digital transformation with local based organizations. Since its inception in 2017, TechSpark has helped its eight communities secure more than $125 million in community funding, skill 55,000 people, and create 3,300 jobs.

SOURCES: Alivia Roberts, Marketing and Communications Manager, Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN): [email protected]

ABOUT WHIN: WHIN is an innovative nonprofit organization devoted to making the 10-county Wabash Heartland region of north-central Indiana the global epicenter of digital agriculture and next-generation manufacturing empowered by smart IoT technology.