Palos Verdes Teacher Wins Grant To Support STEM Learning

PALOS VERDES, CA — The Society for Science, a nonprofit in Washington D.C., awarded $135,000 in grants to 95 exceptional science teachers from underserved and underrepresented communities across the country and abroad. One of those recipients is a Palos Verdes teacher.

With the ongoing public health emergency challenging education systems everywhere, these awards pay tribute to the perseverance, labor and critical role teachers and mentors play in supporting future STEM talent and leaders, including the next generation of climate scientists, astronomers, geneticists, data analysts and engineers.

Award recipients this year represent schools from 29 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico as well as Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. Priority consideration is given to teachers at schools that support students from low-income communities and demographics traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.

Teresa Aki, Rudecinda Sepulveda Dodson Gifted/HA Magnet Middle School in Rancho Palos Verdes, is a recipient.

“With the implementation of the New Generation Science Standards, I would like our students to have the opportunity to use and apply science and engineering practices in the classroom and beyond," Aki said in a statement.

"It is very helpful to have the right resources for the students to conduct experiments during the class and even after school hours," Aki said.. "It provides students the chance to practice and develop 21st century skills such as creativity, communicating and collaborating with others and cultivating a mindset of curiosity which is important for our young learners to have inclination to STEM-related careers in the future.”

The STEM Research Grants will be allocated in two forms, including research kits assembled and distributed to teachers by the Society for Science and funds paid directly to teachers intended for STEM-related equipment, such as technology, lab supplies or software, all to be used in hands-on research. The amount that each teacher will receive in the latter category will differ based on what the teacher requested for their classroom. Of the 95 selected teachers, 85 will receive STEM research kits valued at $1,000 per kit; 11 teachers will receive funds of up to $5,000 for their own earmarked purchases and one grantee will receive a research kit in addition to $2,000 in funding.

The STEM research kits and funding will help educators to fuel and facilitate scientific inquiry in all settings, whether remotely, in-person or through a hybrid model. The Society’s STEM Research Grants program is sponsored by Regeneron and National Geographic.

“We are delighted to award these teachers with STEM kits and resources to further their student’s pursuit of inquiry-based learning. Studies have consistently shown that hands-on original research and active learning are essential for students to genuinely embrace STEM pathways – this is especially true for women and students from underrepresented backgrounds,” Michele Glidden, Chief Program Officer at the Society for Science, said in a statement.

“We are proud to award grants to these outstanding teachers who are motivating their students to conduct research, use their critical thinking skills and empowering them to answer questions to solve problems in the world around them," Glidden said.

Teachers selected to receive kits will be given the following items to stir the scientific imagination of their students in the coming year. Each kit is comprised of the following:

• Arduino Starter Kits – Each STEM kit recipient will be given four Arduino Starter Kits. With this open-source hardware and software platform, students can get started on learning about electronics. Available in a variety of languages and simple to use in any location, teachers can lead students through projects about voltage, current, coding and the fundamentals of programming. Students will build innovative prototypes with Arduino boards for research projects with this kit.
• PocketLab Voyagers – Each STEM Research Grantee will receive two PocketLab Voyagers. This little gadget can fit into one’s pocket, hence the name, and enables students to conduct research from anywhere. The small pocket laboratory can help citizen scientists, students and serious investigators explore physics, weather, climate studies and engineering topics via sensing capabilities that measure acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic fields, altitude, infrared rangefinder and more. Users stream real-time data with the Pocket Lab app, to their own devices.
• Trail Cameras – STEM kit recipients will receive four trail cameras, along with SD cards and batteries. This camera delivers high-quality images at 14 MP and HD 720p video. These motion-activated cameras will allow students to conduct many types of research remotely — from surveying local flora and fauna and animal behavior to monitoring conservation challenges, changes in biodiversity and even observing how humans are impacting local wildlife. Students can easily attach the camera to a tree or pole, leave it up and collect data over time or use it to monitor species during the night or day.
• LaMotte Water Monitoring Kits – Each grantee will receive four Water Monitoring Kits. Whether it be a nearby stream or ocean, well or drinking water, these portable kits support students who want to investigate water quality and contamination. This kit can be used to investigate eight testing parameters and includes non-hazardous reagents to evaluate up to 10 water samples.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, the Society for Science has given more than 9,098 kits to more than 600 educators in all 50 states, Washington D.C., American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Peru, Mexico and Uruguay. To date, the collective number of kits is valued at more than $500,000. Priority is given to educators serving student communities historically underrepresented in STEM, those educators who have participated in the Society’s research teachers’ conferences as well as educators in our other Outreach & Equity programs.

Visit the Society for Science's website for more information.

See the full list of 95 STEM Research Grantees.