For years, Nicole Reigel and her family organized homemade science kits for elementary school children, but now, a corporate grant totaling about $1 million is set to make her labors happily obsolete, according to a recent Kansas City Star report. The grant, a partnership between the Bayer Corporation and the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute was awarded to Reigel's SySTEMic Innovations, a nonprofit dedicated to introducing children to science, technology, engineering and math fields.
The grant will help pay for science modules and other hands-on learning tools to encourage and engage young students. A student with access to technology, such as a tablet computer, an interactive whiteboard or an HDMI projector, generally has a richer educational experience than a student limited to a traditional, technologically limited learning environment.
According to the report, employers in STEM fields are concerned that the rate of students entering their professions is dwindling as more positions become integrated with new technology, creating a divergent system where the demand for highly skilled employees with STEM foundations increases while the availability of these workers decreases.
Scott Smith, the director of strategic initiatives for HNTB Corporation, an earthmoving construction company, for example, told the Kansas City Star that machine operators today need more than an understanding of how to operate heavy machinery - they have to be able to navigate 3D computer models and decode and analyze GPS data.
Technology grants, such as the one provided to Reigel's SySTEMic Innovations, may provide resources that help students develop these skills.
