Amateur Radio Digital Communications Grants Continue
01/27/2022
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) has continued its largesse, funding a variety of projects through individual grants. Among the latest is a nearly $900,000 award that will permit the Internet Archive to build the Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC), “an online, open-access resource that preserves the vital resources — past, present, and future — that document the history of
amateur radio and communications,” as the project proposal explained. Internet Archive is a nonprofit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
“The DLARC will be both an education program building a unique and unparalleled collection of primary and secondary resources, but also an innovative technical project that will build a digital library that combines both digitized print materials and [original] digital content,” Internet Archive said in its proposal.
It will incorporate three distinct areas: a large-scale scanning program to digitize relevant print materials from institutions and individuals; a large-scale digital archiving initiative that seeks to curate, archive, and provide specialized access to such media as digital photos and audio-video presentations, as well as websites and web-published material, and a personal archiving campaign to ensure the preservation and future access of notable individuals and stakeholders involved in the founding and activities of ARDC and the broader community.
The ARDC grant program stems from the proceeds of the July 2019 sale of some 4 million unused consecutive AMPRNet internet addresses. Using those funds, ARDC established a program of grants and scholarships in support of communications and networking research, with a strong emphasis on amateur radio.
Another ARDC grant for nearly $34,000 will permit the Fauquier 4-H Ham Radio Club in Virginia to purchase and equip a 4-H Youth Station and Outreach Trailer for the club’s youth to use at regular meetings, public demonstrations, and special events.
“The Fauquier 4-H Ham Radio Club provides local youth, ages 9 to 18, opportunities to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math through amateur radio communications and electronics projects,” the club’s proposal said. “An amateur radio license is not required to join, but the club strives to inspire and help members who are interested in getting their license achieve that goal.”
A $318,000 to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), will fund 30 SWE global scholarships and “contribute to programs that will help women in engineering excel professionally and showcase their achievements.”
According to SWE, these programs include the High School Leadership Academy, a virtual, year-round program aimed at building self confidence and resilience among high school students who are interested in pursuing engineering and technology degrees; the Community College Women of Color Pathways Research, a new year-long program to encourage undergraduate women studying at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) to pursue STEM graduate degrees, and its Collegiate Leadership Institute, a program designed to equip collegiate SWE members with the skills, knowledge, and leadership abilities that will enable them to become leaders in engineering and technology.
