Oak Ridge, Tenn.— To kick off Engineers Week, which is held annually during the last week in February, Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) announced Monday that it is once again sponsoring five $1,000 grants for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in East Tennessee classrooms. The goal of the grants, designated for grades K–12, is to foster advancement of STEM activities in the classroom and to help develop Y-12’s future workforce. CNS manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex.
This is the second year that Y-12 has offered STEM classroom grants. Projects which received awards in 2022 included an aquaponics teaching lab, a rainwater runoff design challenge, and development of a curriculum in pneumatics, which involves engineering using pressurized air. “It is so exciting to see the variety of projects that teachers dream up to enhance STEM learning in East Tennessee,” said Y-12 Education Outreach Specialist Kristin Waldschlager. “CNS is honored to support their efforts, and to see how they will inspire students who could grow up to work at Y-12.”
Public and private school teachers or school administrators in the following East Tennessee counties may apply:
Anderson
Blount
Campbell
Claiborne
Cocke
Cumberland
Grainger
Hamblen
Jefferson
Knox
Loudon
McMinn
Meigs
Monroe
Morgan
Rhea
Roane
Scott
Sevier
Union
Grant application information is available on the Y-12 website. Applications will be accepted through March 20, 2023. Educators who are immediate family members of Y-12 employees are not eligible to apply for or receive a grant.
Y-12 staff will evaluate the grant applications and make recommendations for grant allocations. Once a final decision is made, five grants of $1,000 each will be made payable to the individual school and will be dispersed to the teacher or administrator in accordance with school protocol.
Grants will be awarded in April, and all funds must be spent by July 31, 2023.