In an era characterized by fierce international competition, students from the United States and China are looking to combine their talents for the greater social good. Technology and Education: Connecting Cultures (TECC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the cultural and technological gaps between China and the United States. Founded in December of 2003 by Tony Lung, a Chinese-American entrepreneur, and Stanford alumnus Joshua Reeves (B.S. 2005), TECC has grown into an extensive organization with teams at universities located in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. By undertaking joint US-Chinese ventures in the fields of technology and education, TECC seeks to affect positive social change and to pioneer US-Sino cooperation in entrepreneurship. “TECC creates an international network to incorporate the concept of business management for the purpose of social good,” said freshman Hao Yan, a member of Stanford’s TECC team. “It encourages students in the ivory tower to go out to the real world and make a difference that affects people in underprivileged regions.”

“TECC differs from other China-related organizations because we focus on promoting awareness through action — providing students with the opportunity to have a real and meaningful impact,” agreed Tony Huie, a coterminal Electrical Engineering major who serves as TECC’s Vice President of Projects.

One way in which the organization seeks to achieve its objectives is through improving technology-based curriculums in Chinese schools. The Summer Institutes on Technology and Education were started in 2004 as an isolated project in the western Chinese province of Gansu, which brought together middle-school educators in the area for a two-week seminar on using computers in the classroom. By distributing free print- and web-based materials on technology education, and providing a training series for teachers in the area, the program sought to increase the role of technology in the classroom setting. In 2005, the program expanded to three institutes, respectively located in the Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai Provinces of China. TECC also increased the length of the institute to three weeks and placed more emphasis on the role of technology in teaching English to Chinese students. By educating teachers on effectively utilizing basic computer tasks like Google Search, Microsoft Office, PowerPoint and e-mail, the institutes aimed to integrate technology into curricula and also to help teachers access online teaching materials. TECC team members were also available to offer long-distance consultation.

Huie said that the success of the institutes extended beyond simply increasing rural students’ access to technology. “TECC officers are actively involved in creating the content and curriculum for these institutes by interfacing with education experts at Stanford,” he said. “We are helping to share the phenomenal resources we have with these areas of China.”

Other initiatives that TECC has undertaken include the Youth Ambassador Program for Minorities, which aims to bring together young members of ethnic minority groups in China in an effort to increase awareness of China’s diverse culture, and the Technology Exchange and Showcase, in which Stanford students exchange papers, presentations, and posters with students from Beijing’s Tsinghua University, in an effort to foster a mutual understanding between the student bodies of the two schools.

Members of the Stanford TECC team cited the tangible effects of the programs as a major reason for participating in the organization.

“It’s a great way to bridge the gap between the East and the West,” said freshman Jianwei Low. “It’s awe-inspiring to believe that we are actually playing a role in equalizing technology access in China.”

“TECC is a first-hand experience of social entrepreneurship in action,” agreed Huie.

He also pointed to a broader sense of obligation.

“We hope to instill in our members that social responsibility is not something to be left for convenience,” said Huie. “It is a concept that should be engrained in our everyday lives.”