The Columbia Gorge STEM Hub recently announced the recipients of the 2020-21 STEM Educator Microgrants. Winning proposals focused on enhancing access and equity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning and were selected by a committee from a competitive pool. More than $12,000 was awarded in the region.
Each year, the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub offers teachers in the region the opportunity to apply for funds to bring innovative STEM-focused projects to their students. This year, with funds from the Oregon Department of Education and a special COVID-relief grant from Oregon Community Foundation, the STEM Hub offered educators in Hood River, Wasco, Gilliam, Sherman, and Wheeler counties two options: A traditional microgrant or a COVID-response microgrant. Traditional microgrants focus on providing innovative, equitable STEM opportunities that can have a lasting impact, while COVID-response microgrants focus more on STEM education needs during the pandemic.
Recipients are:
Outdoor Science Classrooms — Lu Seapy, Wasco County 4-H
Library Grab-’n-Go STEM Learning — Jeannie Glaspy, The Dalles Wasco County Library
Authentic STEM Activities for English Learners during Distant/Hybrid Learning — Susan McCourt, Chenowith Elementary
Chemistry Labs for Mass, Density, Isotope Ratios — Kevin Haspela, Hood River Valley High School
Community Works Camera — Peter Lawson, HRCSD Community Works Program
Digital Cameras for Microscopes — Robin Haight, The Dalles Middle School
Soil and Water Science — David Scharfenberg, Hood River Middle School
We are Here to BUILD — Tess Welk, Dry Hollow Elementary
LEGO Robotics & Coding — Teren Humphrey, Condon School
Arduinos for Electrical Engineering — John Trimble, Hood River Valley High School
Crazy Circuits Makerspace Set — Tom Dalbey, May Street Elementary
Solar/PV Kits for Energy Resources — Emily Martin, Hood River Valley High School
Greenhouse Grow Lighting — James Latshaw, Mitchell School
Telepresence Tech to Close the Technology Equity Gap — Laurie Stanton, Dry Hollow Elementary
“This is our fourth year of offering grants to educators in the community who are leading efforts to be innovative and inclusive around STEM,” said Christy Christopher, Columbia Gorge STEM Hub director. “But this year it’s especially inspiring to support these projects since teaching and learning is even more challenging right now.”
Projects awarded this year focused on hands-on learning and efforts to make distance learning more engaging. Stanton of Dry Hollow applied for funds to purchase a Swivl C3 camera that will be shared among at least nine teachers at all grade levels. This new technology will be used for virtual “field trips,” to enhance hands-on science experiment instruction, to allow students to virtually observe eggs hatching, and more. Scharfenberg of Hood River Middle School, along with colleagues Michael Becker and Regina Dickinson, was awarded funding to purchase supplies needed for a soil and water science lesson that will give every eighth grade student at HRMS the chance to conduct a real science experiment at home.
Two out-of-school educators were awarded funding for their STEM programming. Lu Seapy of Wasco County 4-H will be purchasing materials for two outdoor science classrooms to be placed at Dry Hollow Elementary and The Dalles High School to improve after-school STEM education opportunities during and beyond the pandemic. The Dalles-Wasco County Library’s Jeannie Glaspy will also expand current programing with the awarded funds. Glaspy plans to create an additional 45 family kits that the library will supplement with activities, virtual teaching, and tutorial videos in both English and Spanish.
A second application cycle is open now, with a Jan. 30 deadline. Educators serving students in the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub’s 5-county Oregon service area are encouraged to review the criteria and apply online at www.gorgestem.or/microgrants. Gorge businesses and individuals who would like to support these projects are invited to donate to the Microgrant Fund by contacting the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub.
Housed within the Columbia Gorge Education Service District, the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub is a collective impact organization, partnering with local schools, businesses, and non-profits to expand STEM opportunities for all students in the Columbia River Gorge. You can find out more about the STEM Hub by visiting www.gorgeSTEM.org or calling 541-296-2046.
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