Society for Science Awards 41 Student STEM Research Grants
- By Kate Lucariello
- 02/29/24
The Society for Science organization has announced 41 educator awardees of its 2023-2024 STEM Research Grants to provide research kits or funding for middle and high school hands-on science education projects.
This year's total grant outlay is $110,000, with 19 teachers receiving research kits valued at $1,000 each, and 22 educators receiving grants from $2,000 to $5,000 to purchase STEM-related equipment.
The program is committed to helping break down barriers to science education for students from underrepresented and underserved communities, including those from low-income backgrounds. All of the students whose teachers received kits or grants this year are from public schools, with 73% of them from underrepresented backgrounds, the Society said.
The grants will give these students "the ability to venture into independent research projects that extend beyond their standard curricula, leading to opportunities to showcase their work in science fairs," the organization said.
There are three types of starter kits:
- Arduino Starter Kits use an open-source hardware and software platform to allow students to study electronics, i.e., voltage, current, coding, and basic programming. Students can design and build prototypes with Arduino boards;
- Leaf Pack Stream Ecology Kits help students study stream ecosystems, focusing on "streams, food chain dynamics, and the impact of pollution," the organization said, with special emphasis on freshwater macroinvertebrates;
- LaMotte Garden Kits contain a soil test kit and one refill for students to perform soil analysis with rapid test procedures to measure chemical composition and soil pH.
In addition, each grantee will receive two PocketLab Voyagers, compact units that allow students to conduct research anywhere in different disciplines. The units can measure acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic fields, and altitude, and have an infrared rangefinder and capabilities such as streaming real-time data to their personal devices with an app.
The application cycle each year closes in October, with grantees announced in February. The Society noted increased interest in this year's grant, with 311 final applications, 80 more than last year.
Read the full release to learn more about this year's grant, and the FAQ page for more details about applying.
Visit this page for a full list of the 2024 grant recipients.
About the Author
Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.