In March 2008, the Media Grid, a Boston-based public utility for digital media founded by computer grid pioneer Aaron Walsh, and the Ford Program-Global Education Initiative, an international donor NGO, formed a joint initiative to further education in underserved communities worldwide.  The Ford Program-Global Education has developed three innovative approaches for delivering applied-learning science-engineering programs for K-12 youth and teachers in underserved communities worldwide.  Media Grid has launched two open source education initiatives in less than a year. The Immersive Education Initiative, begun in 2007, is an international consortium of 300 universities, colleges, research institutes and companies that are supporting the development of virtual reality and game-based learning and training systems.  In June 2008, the initiative launched The Education Grid in partnership with Sun Microsystem’s Laboratory’s Project Wonderland, to conduct classes and meetings with a growing collection of virtual worlds. The Ford Program-GEI Project developed and donated 67 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs for use by the Immersive Education Initiative. According to Aaron Walsh, the donation provides the Immersive Education Initiative with a solid base of STEM programs from which a range of next-generation applied engineering immersive learning experiences will be developed.