KNOXVILLE, Tn. (NewsFirst) – The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has partnered with Bicentennial Volunteers Inc. to award $1.5 million in grants to public school educators in the Tennessee Valley region. The grants will be used to develop science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education projects. TVA’s executive vice president and chief external relations officer, Jeannette Mills, said that the organization is committed to supporting schools and educators who inspire an interest in STEM education in students across the seven-state region. Mills added that providing resources and access to STEM education is key to inspiring innovation and interest.
The competitive STEM classroom grant program is operated in partnership with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network managed by the Battelle organization. This year, the program received 715 grant applications, and 343 were selected for funding. Since 2018, TVA/BVI has provided nearly $6.5 million in STEM grants supporting over 600,000 students.
Grants up to $5,000 were awarded in a competitive process, and preference was given to grant applications that explored TVA’s primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic development, and community problem-solving. Any school that receives their power from a local power company served by TVA was eligible to apply.
Kentucky Schools that recieved grants:
Kentucky
Allen County Primary Center
Auburn School
Butler County High School
Calloway County Middle School
Gateway Academy to Innovation and Technology
Graves County Central Elementary School
Joe Harrison Carter Elementary
North Calloway Elementary
Oakland Elementary
Potter Gray Elementary
Sharpe Elementary School
South Marshall Elementary
South Warren Middle School
St. Joseph School
Todd County Central High School
Todd County Middle School
Wingo Elementary School
The grants are awarded to meet the diverse needs of local communities. For example, Westhills Elementary School in Lewisburg, Tennessee, will use its grant on a project titled “Is It Hot or Not.” Students will conduct an investigation to demonstrate how thermal energy moves among objects through radiation, conduction, or convection using thermal cameras and infrared thermometers.
For more information on the grant recipients, visit tva.com/stem.
