ATLANTA — Christmas giving came early for five individual science research teachers across the metro area. This is all thanks to Society for Science & the Public who announced more than $100,000 in STEM research kits would be awarded to 100 science research teachers from underserved communities across the country.
In a release sent to 11Alive, the organization shared the five Atlanta educators chosen in the program.
The teachers will each choose from a selection of 13 high-quality STEM research kits, encouraging students to pursue hands-on, project-based science research in the home environment.
“In the last 10 months, STEM teachers have had to completely overhaul learning. It has been particularly difficult to move hands-on research and project-based learning, such as science labs, to a virtual environment without the appropriate equipment and materials,” Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of the Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News said in a statement. “By providing teachers and students with STEM research kits and equipment, we hope to accelerate STEM learning and spark a curiosity in science and engineering topics, despite current circumstances.”
In prior years, the Society offered grants of up to $5,000 to educators through the STEM Research Grants program. Educators then used that funding to purchase resources for their classrooms.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the STEM Research Grants program was adapted to provide teachers the necessary tools for effective at-home learning. In order to better help educators adjust to their continually shifting environment and to maximize the money being spent, the Society purchased resources in bulk and developed multiple kits for educators to choose from.
Out of the 427 STEM Research Grants applicants, priority consideration was given to teachers in schools that serve low-income areas or underrepresented students.
Here are the local teachers that will benefit from the program:
- Marlon Alfaro, B.E.S.T. Academy
- Mariama Boone, Benjamin E. Mays High School
- Stephanie Jones, Maynard Jackson High School
- Tonia Schofield, Henry W. Grady High School
- Van Truong, South Gwinnett High School
These kits are distributed through the Society’s STEM Research Grants program.
The organization has granted over $400,000 in take-home kits to help ensure educators have what they need to encourage scientific inquiry in all settings, regardless of whether they are guiding their students remotely, in-person, or through a hybrid model, according to a release sent to 11Alive.