OSLN Grant Focuses STEM Education on Low Income Students in Ohio
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The Ohio Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Learning Network (OSLN) has received a $12 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to promote 21st century learning and STEM education. The grant, according to the organization, is part of a $50 million cooperative effort between public and private institutions.
Initially, the grant money will be used to fund five regional STEM-oriented schools targeting low-income and minority students, according to the group. Its eventual goals are to "double the number of college graduates in Ohio by 2015 with degrees in the STEM disciplines, with a special emphasis on increasing the number of low income and minority graduates; dramatically increase the number of individuals who choose a career in STEM fields to support Ohio's economic growth and ensure the state's position as a leader in innovation, research, and emerging technology; and design and implement a statewide infrastructure that ensures all secondary STEM school creation is aligned with Ohio's education reform, economic development, workforce, and two- and four-year higher education endeavors."
OSLN will be managed by Battelle, a non-profit research and development firm, and headed up by Rich Rosen, Battelle's vice president for education and philanthropy.
"Today's businesses will succeed based on how well we solve problems like climate change, energy independence, high health care costs, and others. STEM literacy, with its emphasis on real-world problem-solving, gives students the intellectual as well as the technical foundation they need to make sense of the world around them and move ahead in this environment." said Battelle CEO Carl Kohrt in a statement released this week. "Improving education is one of Battelle's founding purposes and operational signatures. As a business based on scientific discovery and application, we have a keen interest in vigorously promoting STEM education. This is what Ohio owes its children and it's what we must do to meet the Governor's commitment to open the doors of our colleges and adult career centers to an additional 230,000 Ohioans over the next decade."
In addition to the efforts of OSLN, Ohio has also targeted $100 million in college scholarships focusing on STEM subjects.
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About the author: David Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's online education technology publications, including THE Journal and Campus Technology. He can be reached at [email protected].
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