Toshiba announces $136,000 for STEM projects
New grant awards from the Toshiba America Foundation to support exciting Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) education programs in grades 6-12.
The Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) has announced $136,000 in grants for 27 innovative classroom STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematic) projects in grades 6 through 12.
The grants will allow students to learn about biology, chemistry, engineering, math, physics, and environmental science. Additionally, the grants will address local community issues with innovative hands-on lessons, such as coding, robotics, marine science, and sustainability initiatives – the common thread across all 27 projects is that they incorporate novel ways to introduce STEM disciplines into the classroom.
One such grant is Mr. Mieras Marine Laboratory Exploration project at the Indian River Charter High School, Vero Beach, FL. His students will use a specimen tank purchased with Toshiba grant funds to cultivate and study local marine species including coral reef, mangroves, and natural sea grasses. They will work with OCRA as they obtain and evaluate evidence of factors in an ecosystem related to survival and provide an argument for how these and other observed changes affect a species of interest.
"STEM occupations play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of the U.S. economy,” said John Anderson, President, TAF. “STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. The grants being awarded by TAF will make the STEM classroom more exciting for both teachers and students – and result in more students becoming engaged in this crucial field."
TAF’s grants take a “direct-to-teacher” approach by aiming to fund projects designed by innovative classroom teachers, which brings immediate results. Teachers are able to enhance the way they teach STEM subjects because the grant supports equipment for hands-on experiments and project-based learning in the curriculum. TAF believes that learning STEM subjects through this type of experience is a lot more fun and engaging than just reading a textbook.
