The award was presented to the two groups at the Congressional Black Caucus Reception at the SEMAA Directors meeting which was held Sept. 8 through 11. Detroit SEMAA and DTE Energy Foundation were recognized for their work in providing opportunities for K-12 students in the city of Detroit to learn about science, engineering, mathematics and aerospace engineering.

Since July 2002, DTE Energy Foundation has been the backbone and a significant financial supporter of the Detroit SEMAA program at Wayne State.

Thanks to the DTE Energy Foundation's commitment and financial support, Detroit SEMAA is able to provide more than 1,000 inner-city students with a challenging and exciting science curriculum each year. DTE donated $25,000 during both the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 fiscal years. The DTE Foundation also donated 30 computers to Detroit SEMAA in 2002.

"NASA laid the foundation with their generous seed money for this dynamic program," said Detroit SEMAA Director Marsha Cheeks. "Detroit SEMAA is able to sustain our program through corporate partnerships such as DTE Energy Foundation, which prepares our students to excel in a global economy."

Thanks to DTE Energy Foundation's support, Detroit SEMAA has continued to provide children with opportunities that expand and enrich their learning experience, through a non-traditional classroom setting.

The Detroit SEMAA program began in 1997. It is a partnership with Wayne State University, the Detroit Public Schools and the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.