Huntsville Leader

HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division awarded $100,000 in grants to 26 STEM-related initiatives from schools and educational organizations located in Mississippi and Alabama. The STEM awards are currently distributed on an annual basis and are used to further the education of science, technology, engineering and math.

“The impact of STEM education is seen every day at our shipyard, whether it’s in our shipbuilder’s critical thinking skills or their passion for innovation. STEM plays a vital role in our success,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “As we continue to develop our next generation of shipbuilders, we are committed to providing educators with the tools and resources they need to expand their STEM programs, while also establishing a strong awareness and interest in STEM.”

In the past decade, Ingalls has awarded more than $1.1 million for teacher training and projects.

The Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center is one of this year’s STEM grant recipients and has plans to strengthen their students’ STEM skills by building underwater remote operated vehicles.

“For STEM content to be engaging to students, we (as teachers) have to connect hands-on activities to STEM concepts and our remote operated vehicle (ROV) project is a great hands-on activity that can be used to make those connections for our students,” Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center Engineering Instructor Billy Carroll said. “With the help of this grant award, we plan to strengthen our students understanding of STEM, inspire them to learn more about STEM-related careers, and encourage students to enter STEM-related career fields.”

The Ingalls’ STEM awards attracted 85 applications this grant cycle. The next application cycle will open in August at the beginning of the 2023 academic school year and end in October.

HII is committed to shaping the future of engineering, science and technology and makes investments in STEM education programs through partnerships with local elementary and high schools, community colleges and technical schools, summer internships, and industry-leading apprentice schools at the company’s two shipyards.

Ingalls Shipbuilding congratulates the 2022 STEM grant recipients:

Alabama School of Mathematics and Science (Mobile, Alabama): Providing students with a term-long course in renewable and alternative energy technologies.

Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies (Mobile, Alabama): Students will expand their thinking from a local to a global perspective by working with drones and underwater robots to solve real world problems in our oceans and atmosphere.

Christ the King Catholic School (Daphne, Alabama): Students will learn how to use a laser cutter and 3D printer in order to build a drone.

College and Career Technical Institute (Pascagoula, Mississippi): Students will explore lesson planning by designing STEM-based lesson plans using the Robot Blox.

Denton Magnet School of Technology (Mobile, Alabama): Students will compete in STEM competitions that will engage students in their understanding of the career options available post high school. 

Fab Lab Jackson County (Vancleave, Mississippi): Teachers will use technology tools along with engineering skills to excite students about future opportunities of STEM engineering and design careers.

Foley Elementary School (Foley, Alabama): Students will complete lessons in the STEM lab using the SeaPerch ROV, a hands-on robotics program.

Foley Middle School (Foley, Alabama): Students will complete hands-on learning activities at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Alabama., helping them learn about the body and healthy habits.

Gautier Middle School (Gautier, Mississippi): Will purchase a laser cutter-engraver and accessories to teach students the new technology being used by the STEM industry.

Loxley Elementary School (Loxley, Alabama): Obtaining a Minecraft Education license for up to 80 sixth-grade students, providing a virtual world for students to practice math, engineering, and problem-solving skills.

Lyman Elementary School (Gulfport, Mississippi): Students will research the history and effects of our current energy sources and explore renewable energy resources in an attempt to power a Lego car.

Meadowlake Elementary School (Mobile, Alabama): This project will be the start of robotics and coding clubs for students and will help the school purchase more robots.

Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center (Moss Point, Mississippi): Students will build an underwater ROV.

Opportunity Center (Pascagoula, Mississippi): This project will introduce students to environmental care, planting and harvesting, and showing ways to reduce food insecurity among low-income students.

Pascagoula High School (Pascagoula, Mississippi): Students will build a generator that will serve as an emergency backup station for the school and classrooms.

Pascagoula High School (Pascagoula, Mississippi): Students will utilize audiovisual technology used for educational projects in various science courses.

Pass Christian High School (Pass Christian, Mississippi): Students will be introduced to manufacturing concepts like construction, palletizing and coordinate plans.

Pass Christian Middle School (Pass Christian, Mississippi): Students will learn and create projects and activities within the virtual reality environment.

Robertsdale High School (Robertsdale, Alabama): Students will be challenged to create a windmill and solar powered irrigation pump using rain water captured from school rooftops. 

Singing River Academy (Gautier, Mississippi): Provide students with STEM-based activities with soccer and techniques behind the sport.

Spanish Fort Elementary School (Spanish Fort, Alabama): The KIBO coding program will be implemented in Pre-K through second grade classrooms.

St. Luke’s Episcopal School (Mobile, Alabama): Students will measure strength gains in the shoulder following rotator cuff exercises.

St. Mary Catholic School (Mobile, Alabama): Students will produce a TV broadcast at the school which will reach kindergarten through eighth grades.

St. Patrick Catholic High School (Biloxi, Mississippi): Provide a dedicated space for materials required in engineering, physics and summer programs with the Makerspace in the Classroom program.

Stonebridge Elementary School (Spanish Fort, Alabama): This grant will help purchase high quality sound and recording equipment to take this project to a new level of fun, engagement, quality and professionalism.

West Harrison High School (Gulfport, Mississippi): Students will integrate STEM into their English class by designing a theme park based on Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet.”

Original source can be found here.