UCOR awards mini-grants for local school projects

 

UCOR has announced 20 winners in its Education Mini-Grant Program.

The Mini-Grant Program was designed to recognize and support excellence in teaching by providing funds to assist classroom teachers for specific projects or curricula, focusing primarily on science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, a press release said.

Schools in Anderson, Knox, Loudon, Knox, Morgan, and Roane counties were eligible to submit proposals. Applications were screened and awardees selected using a blind process that prevented members of the selection panel from knowing the names of the teachers or the schools.

The UCOR Mini-Grant committee has selected the following projects for 2016:

1. Class Set of TI30XS Calculators—Caitlin Westbrooks of Ridge View Elementary School
2. Interactive Garden—Amy O’Hara of Dutch Valley Elementary
3. RoboSTARS—Anne Harvey of North Middle School
4. STEM with plants (Beginning Botany)—Amber Young of North Middle School
5. Creating Dynamic Maps—Brian Smith, Jefferson Middle School
6. To the OSMO and Beyond—Annette Tullock and Tambra Sweet of Dyllis Springs Elementary
7. Creating a STEAM Makerspace in the Library—Lana Foster of Cherokee Middle School
8. STEM+ART=STEAM (Fun Learning!)—Timmie Brannon of Eaton Elementary School
9. Seeing It All With Binocular Dissecting Microscope—Bryan Freeman and Nicole Patalano of Clinton Middle School
10. Probes and Calculators for STEM Projects—Tara England, Cameron Bruse, and Tabitha Gunnels of Sunbright
11. Using Knex to Learn about Energy, Forces, and Motion—Deanna Blackburn of Norris Middle School
12. The Sky is the Limit—Kathryn Cardwell of Crossroads Christian Academy
13. Building a Functioning Science Lab—Kathy Heineken of Crossroads Christian Academy
14. Acid and Bases—Matthew Jones of Rockwood Middle School
15. Stream Health Project—Michael Holden of Norwood Middle School
16. Fast Plants: Scientific Inquiry Projects—Paula S. Deaver of Norris Middle School
17. Listen Up, Kindergarten—Jessica Bray and Christy Hicks of Grand Oaks Elementary School
18. Can You Feel It In the Air Tonight?—Cristen Holden of Clinton Middle School
19. Exploring Through Play—Sally Suttle and Shasta Gilliam of Grand Oaks Elementary school
20. Solar Charging Station for School Golf Cart—Riley Sain of Clinton High School

UCOR, or URS | CH2M Oak Ridge LLC, is the U.S. Department of Energy’s cleanup contractor at the Oak Ridge Reservation. The company has awarded Mini-Grants to area teachers annually since 2012.

The company said one of its primary objectives is to support and encourage education initiatives.

“The UCOR Mini-Grant Program enables teachers to enhance their students’ educational experiences,” said Ken Rueter, UCOR president and project manager. “This program is a difference maker. It helps teachers. It helps students. It helps the community—both today and in the future as we work together to develop tomorrow’s business owners, educators, scientists, engineers, and other leaders who make our community great.”

This press release was submitted by UCOR.

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