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University of Colorado
Created 3/25/18. Updates available online.

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CU's PhET Interactive Simulations project selected as a Tech Award Laureate - 9/15/11

We are honored to have been selected as a 2011 Tech Award Laureate. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc., selected PhET as one of three laureates for the Microsoft Education Award - out of over 600 nominations representing 54 countries. The Tech Awards: Technology Benefiting Humanity is one of the premier annual humanitarian awards programs in the world, recognizing technical solutions that benefit humanity and address the most critical issues facing our planet and its people.

For those new to PhET and our work to advance science literacy and education worldwide, we include a brief introduction to the project below. We also include links to photos of PhET being used around the world, our Tech Award application, and an amazing nomination letter written by PhET user Sandor Nagy from Hungary.

Identifying the problem:

Science education is not achieving desired levels of student interest, literacy, and technical expertise.

Our mission:

To advance science literacy and education worldwide through free interactive simulations.

Our approach:

For teachers and students around the world, the PhET project provides interactive simulations that are based on extensive education research and support more effective science education. Going beyond traditional educational resources, PhET simulations offer an intuitive, game-like environment where students can learn through scientist-like exploration, where dynamic visual representations make the invisible visible, and where science ideas are connected to real-world phenomena. Unlike most educational software, PhET simulations are free, easily translated into multiple languages, and available either online or offline, especially important for areas with poor or no internet connectivity. With their flexible design, the simulations can be used in many ways - as demos, homework, or inexpensive yet accurate and realistic lab alternatives.

Our impact:

Students using PhET simulations in Cambodia. Image courtesy of David Dionys PhET use in Cambodia.
Image courtesy of David Dionys

Teachers and students around the world are using PhET simulations, from grade school to university and in more than 60 languages. Some specifics:

  • 106 interactive simulations for teaching and learning science and math - including physics, chemistry, earth science, and biology. All sims are based on the latest education research and tested with students.
  • Over 50 million simulation uses since 2004 - as labs, homework, visual aids, group activities, demos, etc.
  • In 2011, more than 22 million simulations will be used in over 200 countries and territories worldwide
  • Simulations available in 64 languages and the PhET website translated into 15 languages - a special thanks to our scientist and teacher volunteers worldwide!
  • Over 30 publications by the PhET team demonstrating the simulations' research-based design, flexibility in classroom use, and effectiveness in science education.

Our Major Sponsors

 Individual and corporate donations - of any size - are welcome and encouraged. For more information, please visit our donation page.

Media Contacts:

Kathy Perkins, Director, Kathy.Perkins@colorado.edu
Kathy Dessau, Associate Director of Marketing and Development, Kathy.Dessau@colorado.edu

Additional Information