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FAIRFAX, Va. - EWORLDWIRE - March 30, 2010 --- AFCEA
International and The AFCEA Educational Foundation today announced a
three-year initiative aimed at addressing the nation's shortfall in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.
Beginning in 2010, AFCEA International will grant the AFCEA
Educational Foundation an annual award of $200,000 to enable the
Foundation to award 35 scholarships of $5,000 each per year. Students
eligible to compete for an AFCEA STEM Teacher Scholarship must be a U.S.
citizen attending an accredited college or university in the U.S. and
majoring in education for the purpose of teaching a STEM subject in a
U.S. middle or secondary school. Additionally, nominees must be enrolled
full time and hold a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
In addition to the STEM Teacher Scholarship, each graduating AFCEA
STEM Scholar will receive a $1,000 AFCEA Science Teaching Tool (STT)
grant each year for three years, provided the teacher remains teaching a
STEM subject. Science Teaching Tool grants are intended to augment the
needs of the STEM teacher and enrich the learning experience of
students. Past STT grants have been used to fund hardware and software,
purchase classroom tools, and enhance extracurricular STEM focused clubs
and activities.
According to AFCEA International President and CEO Kent Schneider,
"Better teachers feeling more confident about themselves and their
profession, equipped with more robust tools - this is our formula for
getting many new students excited about STEM."
"The best way to get more students interested in a particular field
of study," continues AFCEA Educational Foundation Vice President Fred
Rainbow, "is to increase the number of inspired and inspiring teachers
working in the field. The ideal way to achieve this end is by focusing
on the young people who are now studying in our country's universities
and colleges in preparation for careers as STEM teachers. There are
approximately 171,000 STEM teachers in U.S. middle and secondary
schools. On average, each teacher reaches 150 students per year. If an
additional 35 teachers each could inspire 150 more students each year
with a passion for the sciences, this would translate into 5,250 more
students taught by motivated teachers who hopefully will encourage these
students to pursue STEM studies and careers."
Applicants can access the AFCEA STEM Scholarship form at http://www.afcea.org/education/scholarships/undergraduate/TeachersScholarship.asp.
The first application deadline is June 10, 2010.
Scholarships will be awarded in August.
About AFCEA International and the AFCEA Educational Foundation
AFCEA International, established in 1946, is a non-profit membership
association serving the military, government, industry, and academia as
an ethical forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships
in the fields of communications, IT, intelligence, and global security.
For more information, visit AFCEA.org (http://www.afcea.org).
The AFCEA Educational Foundation works closely with the chapters,
raises funds, and provides leadership, guidance, and rewards to help
motivate more students to become scientists and engineers. The
Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to
providing educational incentives, opportunities, and assistance for
students and teachers in the science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics disciplines (broadly known as STEM). In 2009, the AFCEA
Educational Foundation awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships
and grants. The AFCEA Educational Foundation has been granting
scholarships and grants to college students in STEM disciplines for 30
years. Working with AFCEA local chapters, the Foundation's Science
Teaching Tool program annually reaches 200+ teachers and an estimated
50,000+ students in grades kindergarten through high school. |
