Idaho National Laboratory honors Idaho schools with $60,000 in grants to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in grades K-12

Idaho National Laboratory http://www.inl.gov has awarded approximately $60,000 in grants to teachers across the state to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in grades K-12.

The lab’s Mini Grant program provides teachers up to $2,000 per proposal for classroom equipment, materials and professional development projects. Thirty-nine grants have been awarded this year to support innovative STEM projects throughout Idaho. Several went to central and north Idaho teachers.

INL also awarded two Extreme Classroom Makeover grants to Shoshone Bannock High School in Fort Hall and Washington Elementary School in Caldwell. The $10,000 awards support classroom instructional resources, materials and laboratory equipment used to integrate STEM concepts across all disciplines.

Grant applications are evaluated by a panel of judges based on specific criteria. Teachers are required to provide information on how learning objectives and curriculum concepts will be enhanced and how the project will bolster student interest and achievement.

The following is a list of the 2010 Mini Grant recipients in Idaho:

Mike Brocke, Kamiah High School, will receive $1,077 to purchase graphing calculators for students to explore problems using graphical, numeric and symbolic strategies.

Jeremy Feucht, Jenifer High School in Lewiston, $1,990 to purchase LEGO kits for students to design, build and program motorized robots.

Salvatore Lorenzen, Post Falls High School, will receive $1,997 to purchase equipment to allow students to design, analyze, fabricate and test 3-D models.

Jodi Mink, Cambridge Middle School, will receive $954 to attend a workshop to learn how to maximize use of Vernier LabQuest equipment in the classroom.

Sue Poland, Cambridge Middle School, will receive $1,900 to replace microscopes in the school’s labs to allow students to do more hands-on experiments.

Kellie Rhodes, Timberlake High School in Spirit Lake, will receive $1,700 for equipment for a "Survey of Science" class focused on hands-on, real-life application labs.

Gerald Richardson, Prairie High School in Cottonwood, will receive $1,980 for design and engineering kits for students to construct and demonstrate systems and models.

Dan Richards, Meadows Valley School in New Meadows, will receive $2,000 to purchase probeware and software to allow students to collect real-time data, conduct experiments and test hypotheses on carbon dioxide emissions.

Robert Salisbury, Kamiah High School, will receive $1,985 for a "Science of Structures" project where students will learn engineering principles, computer design and modeling, and applied physics.

Crystal Silvers, Ramsey Elementary School in Coeur d’Alene will receive $1,969 to purchase junior First LEGO kits for students to build, sample and analyze transportation projects in the school’s Club Think! STEM enrichment class.

Brandon Hampton, Les Bois Junior High School in Boise, will receive $1,115 for tools and equipment for engineering and construction labs for students to complete hands-on engineering projects.

Susan Harrington, Rolling Hills Public Charter School in Boise, will receive $2,000 for microscopes for hands-on observation and study of plant and animal cells.

Carmen Larrinaga, Melba Elementary School, will receive $512 for stream tables and manuals for students to demonstrate and study stream velocity, stream load and the erosion cycle.

Chad Rawlins, Melba High School, will receive $1,500 for binoculars and field guides for a bird diversity project for students to experience and study biodiversity, food webs, habitat, population densities and behavioral adaptations.

Vana Richards, Carberry Intermediate School in Emmett, will receive $2,000 for a "Bug Zoo," for 5th grade science students to observe bug behaviors; study life cycles of insects; develop habitat; and record, analyze and present data.

Lynnea Shafter, Heritage Middle School in Meridian, will receive $1,000 for atomic model sets for students to create and study atomic structure and relationships between the atom, elements, compounds and mixtures.

Elisabeth Sonerson, Galileo Math and Science Magnet in Eagle, will receive $340 for supplies for students to grow and pollinate plants to learn about plant reproduction and genetics.

Rick Alm, Bonneville High School in Idaho Falls, will receive $2,000 to purchase materials and equipment to conduct experiments on developing amphibian embryos.

Erin Becker, Edgemont Elementary School in Idaho Falls, $485 to purchase materials for a fetal pig dissection project.
John Berg, Jefferson Elementary School in Rigby, will receive $2,000 for laptops.

Ron Call, Madison High School in Rexburg, will receive $2,000 to purchase sensors that will allow them to collect data and design biology, astronomy and other experiments.

Rebecca Dall, Ammon Elementary School, will receive $1,949 for pulleys, magnets, binoculars, a DNA model and other items to establish science resource center.

Gail Dutton, Hawthorne Middle School in Pocatello, will receive $1,995 to purchase equipment to build water-propelled rockets.

Michelle Guzman, Shoshone Bannock Junior High School in Fort Hall, will receive $1,993 to purchase rock and mineral test kits, a model of the human torso, a model solar system and other items.

Judy Herbst, Iona Elementary, will receive $626 to purchase materials to conduct experiments on sound and using magnets to produce an electrical current.

Erin Johnson, Aberdeen Middle School, will receive $1,945 to purchase physics, astronomy and robotics equipment.

Laron Johnson, Rigby Junior High School, will receive $1,974 to purchase data collection systems to conduct water or soil studies in the field.

Barbara Nelson, Idaho Falls High School, will receive $1,749 to purchase a gas chromotograph for an organic chemistry class.

Elissa Novy, Irving Middle School in Pocatello, will receive $796 to purchase LEGO robotics sets and other related materials.

Eric Rude, Pocatello High School, will receive $1,996 to purchase forensic science equipment that will allow students to investigate art forgery, assay environmental toxins and conduct experiments.

Connie Surerus, Roberts Elementary School, will receive $2,000 for a classroom response system to gauge student understanding of math and science lessons.

Pam Lemmon Wilson, Challis Elementary School, will receive $756 to purchase materials to study static electricity, magnetic fields and other electricity-related lessons.

Michael Winston, Hobbs Middle School in Shelley, will receive $1,975 to purchase an ethanol fuel cell, thermocouple thermometers and other items for lessons on energy and methods for generating it.

Vince Wray, Shelley High School, will receive $1,958 to purchase materials to teach students about electric motors and circuits so they can build a working electric vehicle.

Linda Stokes, Collister Elementary in Boise, will receive $2,000, for "Down to Earth Science," a special project for students to explore the environment using geological testing models, identification of rocks and minerals and field tests.

T.J. Adams, Vera O’Leary Middle School in Twin Falls, will receive $316 to purchase snap circuits to teach about electricity.

Wallace Blacker, Murtaugh Middle School, will receive $1,832 to purchase digital microscopes.

Diane Norman, Dietrich Elementary School, will receive $200 to subscribe to an online math website.

INL also awarded two Extreme Classroom Makeover grants to Shoshone Bannock High School in Fort Hall and Washington Elementary School in Caldwell. The $10,000 awards support classroom instructional resources, materials and laboratory equipment used to integrate STEM concepts across all disciplines.

Funding for INL’s Mini Grant program comes from Battelle Energy Alliance, a nonprofit organization that operates the lab for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

In 2009, INL contributed a total of $473,000 to local and regional K-12 programs that promote STEM education and encourage students to pursue careers in these areas. Over the past four years, INL’s Education Programs office has contributed nearly $1.7 million to enhance STEM education. That includes 166 grants totaling more than $330,000.

INL is one of the DOE’s 10 multiprogram national laboratories. The laboratory performs work in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and environment. It also is the nation’s leading center for nuclear energy research and development.

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