Pacific Science Center who’s mission is to inspire a lifelong interest in science, math and technology by engaging diverse communities through interactive and innovative exhibits and programs, today announced it has received a $15,000 grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation.
The “Innovation Generation” grant will aid Pacific Science Center in continuing to provide opportunities for youth to gain experience that will enable them to pursue science-related careers through their teen programs, Discovery Corps and Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program (LWWIP).
The Innovation Generation program awards organizations such as Pacific Science Center that foster and support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives for teachers and U.S. preschool through university students – especially girls and underrepresented minorities.
“The Innovation Generation grant from Motorola will allow Pacific Science Center to continue to offer invaluable internship and professional development opportunities for teens from a variety of backgrounds from around the greater Seattle area,” said Dr. Ann McMahon, vice president of science and education for Pacific Science Center. “In both Discovery Corps and LWWIP, teens experience science in our community first-hand and develop essential skills to pursue further education and ultimately careers in high-demand STEM fields.”
Discovery Corps
Since Pacific Science Center started Discovery Corps in 2005 a diverse pool of more than 350 youth have spent more than 18,000 hours sharing science with the public through innovative interactive activities on exhibit floor of the science center as well as in underserved community centers and classrooms.
Here is a fact showing the Pacific Science Center efforts are working
All 27 graduates of the Discovery Corps Class of 2014 just completed their first year of college – at MIT, Stanford, Cornell, Columbia, Northwestern, University of Washington, Western Washington University and other terrific colleges.
Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program
The Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program (LWWIP), based at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue, is a year-long program that assists teens in becoming informed stewards of their local community through mentoring, hands-on learning, habitat restoration, and stream monitoring. Youth gain a greater understanding of the world around them while developing teaching and presentation skills, mentoring elementary-aged students about their local environment, and obtaining job experience. As a Lake Washington Watershed intern, youth have the opportunity to explore their local environment through outdoor experiences including snowshoeing, canoeing and visiting the Cedar River Watershed, the origin of our drinking water.
Pacific Science Center has trained more than 180 LWWIP interns since starting the program in 1997. For the past two years, our LWWIP interns represented Pacific Science Center/Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center and competed with nine other teams to win first place in the regional “Envirothon” competition where high school youth demonstrate their knowledge and problem-solving skills on the topics of aquatic ecology, forestry, soils/land use, and wildlife.
Motorola Solutions Foundation Innovation Generation
The Motorola Solutions Foundation grant program overall will impact about 900,000 students and teachers, each receiving an average of 100 programming hours from their partner non-profit organizations and institutions. Programs will support special populations including girls and women, underrepresented minorities, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, people with disabilities and the military.
“The Motorola Solutions Foundation created the Innovation Generation Grant program eight years ago to support educational experiences that spark students to turn their dreams into the innovations that will shape our society’s future,” said Matt Blakely, director of the Motorola Solutions Foundation. “Organizations like Pacific Science Center are teaching tomorrow’s leaders that careers in engineering and technology are not only fun, but also within their reach.”
For additional information on the Motorola Solutions Foundation grants programs, visit: http://responsibility.motorolasolutions.com/index.php/solutions-for-community/ and for more information on Pacific Science Center please visit pacificsciencecenter.org.
