Sun Microsystems, Inc. yesterday announced the award of three Sun Java™ technology curriculum grants to Denver Metro Area educational institutions.

These grants, designed to support the development of curricula to teach students the latest in network computing technologies, were made to Boulder High School, Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program and Metropolitan State College of Denver. The Sun Java Grant program is intended to:

• Increase student and teacher understanding of Java technologies by helping secondary schools integrate Java programming into their computer science curricula.
• Raise the interest and participation of underrepresented students in technology studies and careers.

“The catalyst for this grant program was the College Board's decision to switch to the Java programming language from C++ for its Computer Science Advanced Placement exams,” stated Terry Erdle, vice president of Sun Educational Services. “Since many high schools are introducing Java technologies into their curricula, we wanted to help them develop the best content possible from the source of these technologies, Sun itself.”

These grants, ranging from over $70,000 to almost $100,000 each, were awarded through the Sun Microsystems Foundation, established in 1990 as a separate nonprofit charitable organization. Since establishing one of its largest campuses worldwide in Colorado, Sun and the Sun Microsystems Foundation have partnered with state and local organizations in a variety of ways to improve access to the latest network computing technology resources and information, including:

• Founding sponsorship of the Colorado Institute of Technology, the Governor's top technology and higher education initiative, committing cash, technology hardware and services.
• Donations to Colorado schools designed to provide teachers and students greater access to technology and to raise the technology literacy of students, particularly in underrepresented population groups.
• Donations of equipment and training for area workforce development and reemployment programs.

A variety of other education partnerships at both the K-12 and higher education levels to help enrich academic programs and to raise awareness about the technology industry and technology careers.

For information on Java technology programs at Denver Metro Area schools, please contact:

For Boulder High School, Nancy Horst, nancy.horst@bvsd.k12.co.us or 303-245-5824; for the Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program, Mark Stevens, mark_stevens@dpsk12.org or 720-423-3402; for Metropolitan State College of Denver, Catherine B. Lucas, lucascat@mscd.edu or 303-556-5131.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision –"The Network Is The Computer" – has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.

For further information, contact Randy Schultz, Sun Microsystems, Inc., 303-272-8223 or randy.schultz@sun.com.