For Immediate Release
Contact: Chris Caldwell, UCOR
Christopher.Caldwell@orcc.doe.gov
UCOR awards $45,000 in STEM education mini-grants
Oak Ridge, Tenn., May 20, 2024 – Drones, a manufacturing simulator lab, and hands on meteorology are among the classroom projects United Cleanup Oak Ridge
Kindergarten students at Dyllis Springs Elementary build with Lego blocks.
(UCOR) will fund through its 2024 mini-grants. UCOR awarded $45,000 in mini-grants to fund 41 projects for East Tennessee K-12 teachers in 29 schools. The grants support projects in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as related classes.
With this year’s awards, UCOR has given a total of $395,000 to fund STEM and STEM-related projects since 2012.
“STEM education is an important part of both our community outreach and our workforce development program. It’s exciting to read the grant proposals and see all of the projects teachers are doing to expose students to future STEM careers,” said UCOR Community and Education Outreach Coordinator Shannon Potter.
This year’s mini-grants went to elementary, middle, junior high, and high schools and included projects such as:
- Empowering Young Meteorologists (Burchfield Elementary, Scott County)
This grant will help 2nd-grade students to become amateur meteorologists by through weather observation activities. That includes data recording of weather to track patterns and phenomena. In addition to sharpening observation skills, the project will focus on developing critical thinking skills. - Special Delivery Drones (Gresham Middle, Knox County)
This grant will enable middle-grade students to build takeoff/landing pads for drones using a 3D printer like a mini helipad. Then they will practice piloting the drones over student-built model houses and farms in an outside area of the school to learn about the impact weather/wind has on flight. - Wild About Manufacturing (Oak Ridge High, Oak Ridge City)
This grant will introduce students to the world of manufacturing using a mobile manufacturing lab. The lab will go to local STEM Nights and the high school students will demonstrate 3D printing, Computer Numerical Control machining, and laser cutting to elementary and middle school students. They will also hold an educator workshop to introduce the tools in the lab.
(Find a full list of projects here.)
UCOR’s environmental cleanup work relies heavily on workers in the STEM fields. The company’s 2,200-plus cleanup workforce includes many STEM professionals: chemical operators, welders, engineers, industrial hygienists, nurses, project managers, radiation control technicians, and more.
The company accepted applications from teachers in February and March. A team of UCOR professionals reviewed the submissions (which were made anonymous for the review process) before making grant awards. More information about the UCOR mini-grant program is available from the UCOR website: ucor.com/minigrants/.
UCOR is the DOE Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s lead environmental cleanup contractor. The company’s workers are dedicated to safely reducing environmental risk on the Oak Ridge Reservation while helping DOE’s Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration continue their important missions. Learn more about the company at UCOR.com.
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UCOR NR 2024-04
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Caption: Kindergarten students build problem-solving, creativity, and spatial skills with Lego projects.
