Verizon helps connect thousands of students to nature at Washington, D.C., area national parks during BioBlitz 2016

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon has teamed up with the National Geographic Society to help support the tenth annual National Parks BioBlitz and Biodiversity Festival event in Washington, D.C., on May 20-21. This event engages scientists, students and the general public in a two-day race to count as many species of plants and animals as possible and better appreciate the dynamic culture of many national parks across the region.

In addition to providing a $90,000 Verizon Foundation grant, the company is loaning over 400 connected tablets and 4G LTE Jetpack Mobile Hotspots powered by Verizon's 4G LTE wireless network. Student scientists will use the devices to instantly document and share their discoveries online using the iNaturalist app to photograph, identify and map their observations over the two-day period.

"Verizon is proud to once again partner with the National Park Service and National Geographic on BioBlitz," said Roger Tang, president – South East Market, Verizon Wireless. "This wonderful event is part scientific endeavor, part outdoor classroom excursion and part celebration of biodiversity and culture. It's also a perfect place to demonstrate true mobile technology in education."

Verizon is focused on improving student engagement and achievement in STEM, and views mobile technology as a powerful tool to foster individualized learning environments and higher achievement. The company also supports a number of STEM educational initiatives, including the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS) program, the Verizon Mobile Learning Academy and the Verizon Innovative App Challenge.

About the Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is focused on accelerating social change by using the company's innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education, healthcare and energy management.  Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon's employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.8 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities.  For more information about Verizon's philanthropic work, visit www.verizon.com/about/responsibility; or for regular updates, visit Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/verizongiving).

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Kate Jay
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Albin Sikora 
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SOURCE Verizon

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