E2TEAMS CONFERENCE“Education Excellence”

Huntsville Association of

Technical Societies (HATS)

STEDTRAIN Program

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION & TRAINING

STEDTRAIN's Place in HATS and Committee Composition

The STEDTRAIN Committee members are volunteers from the technical, business, military, and

education professions.

Four Committees

ST EDTRA IN Committee Members Chairman: Dr. P. Grodzka Steering Committee:

Andy Setlow Keith Dedrick Lyle Taylor Herb Dixon

Melissa Roth Dr. Hugh Comfort Woody Williams

Marjorie Masterson Dr. S-T Wu

Houston Hammac Susan Anderson Mark Williams

Approximately eighteen additional contributors and supporters

1. STEDTRAIN 2. Scholarships and Grants (Non K-12) 3. Education Projects Committe 4. Seminars and Conventions

HATS Membership

Board

Education Directorate Director:

Dr. Paul Ruffin, 1998 -2002 Term

(Representatives from 70 Member Organizations)

Seven Directorates

HATS STEDTRAIN COMMITTEE

• Purpose: To Promote Science and Technology Enrichment Programs for K-12 Grade Students in the North Alabama Area

• Duration: Maintained a Seed Grant Program for Past 13 Years

• Funding: The Program is Funded Primarily from TABES, Which Owes its Success to its Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Attendees, Supplemented by Donations from HATS Members and Others

• Incorporated into the Education Directorate of HATS in 1997 as the STEDTRAIN Committee

• Additional Information: http:/www.hats.org/STEDTRAIN/stedtr.shtml

PROBLEMS ADDRESSED

• Hands-on Experiences are the Best Teaching Tools

• Teachers Have Very Little Access to Materials and Equipment for Hands-on Approaches

• Teachers are Often Overwhelmed by Technology Programs, Projects, or Expectations Imposed on Them

• Supportive Internal and External Communities are Often Lacking in Most Schools

• The Outside Community is, for the Most Part, Quite Uninformed and Uninvolved in K-12 Science and Technology Education

DESCRIPTION OF SEED GRANT PROGRAM

• Call for Proposals to K-12 Schools in North Alabama Issued during the Early Part of the Year

• The Requested Grant Amount Can Range From $200 - $1,000

• The Due Date for the Proposals is Toward the End of the School Year

• Proposals are Evaluated and rated by Committee Volunteers according to Strict Criteria

• Awards are Made in the August-September Timeframe• Grantees Report on Their Projects at Mid- and End-Term• Grantees Prepare Poster Displays and Give Brief

Overviews of Their Projects at the Annual STEDTRAIN Mini-Conference (held in conjunction with E2TEAMS - TABES)

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Scientific and Technical Merit• Potential for Widespread Student Involvement• Compliance with Proposal Guidelines and Prior

Grant Requirements• Innovativeness• School Need (as indicated by Government E-

rate Rating)• Budget Realism• Activity Schedule Realism

TABES 2000

Poster Displays ofSeed Grant Projects

HOW THE SEED GRANT PROGRAM ADDRESSES THE

IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS

• Teachers Conceive Their Own Projects• New Exciting Projects Generate Interest and

Enthusiasm in Fellow Teachers and Parents• The Regional Nature of the Program Helps Rapid

Diffusion of Technology Education and Resources Throughout the Region

• STEDTRAIN Volunteers (mostly technical professional) Benefit the Teachers by providing Them with Technical Insights and Personal Interest

• The Public Exposure that Grant Projects Receive at The STEDTRAIN Conference Helps inform the Outside Community about the Advantages of Teacher-Generated, “Hands-on” Science Projects

SOME RESULTS OF SEED GRANTS

• A Teacher in an “On Alert” Elementary School Used Materials Purchased with Grant Funds for Math Instruction. Youngsters from Her Class Won a National Math Competition. Stephanie Cole, Lakewood Elem.

• An “Amusement Park Physics” Grant Inspired a Middle School Math Class to Win a State Mathematics Competition. Jane Jones, Williams Middle

• Teachers Who have Received Grant Awards Have Inspired Fellow Teachers to Apply for Their Own Grants. Mark Williams, Decatur City, Dorothy Moore, Athens Elem., Athens City, Cecil Nichols, Challenger Elem., Huntsville City, Meena Singh, Lakewood Elem., Jane Jones, Williams Middle

WHAT TEACHERS SAY ABOUT THE SEED GRANTS

• “The Money Goes to a Good Use, Not a Bureaucracy.” Teresa Tarter, Bob Jones

• “… it Brings the Community Together,” Sara Lowman, Westminster Christian Academy

• “My Science Classes Have Been Envied by the Other Science Classes Here at School.” Lynn McQueen, Chapman Middle

• “… The equipment Has Been Effectively Used to Make the Abstract Concrete. Students Have Expressed a New Excitement Toward Science.” Matt Dean, Buckhorn High

• “… There were no Discipline Problems.” Dottie Main, Academy of Academics & Arts

FUNDINGK-12 EDUCATION 1988-

2000

• K-12 HATS SEED GRANTS $ 60,048.00

• Educational Projects of HATS $ 12,775.00Members & other CommunityOrganizations

Total $ 72,823.00

List of Donors

• HATS (Major Contributor)• AISR Inc.• WESTAR• RAYTHEON• SEVERDRUP• AUVSI (ASSOCIATION FOR UNMANNED VEHICLE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL)

• SRS TECHNOLOGIES• SY TECHNOLOGIES• SOLE (SOCIETY OF LOGISTIC ENGINEERS)• DYNETICS• WFS (WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY)• REGIONS BANK• ROTARY CLUB OF GREATER HUNTSVILLE• HUNTSVILLE TIMES

SEED GRANTS FUNDING PROFILE

$2,000

$0

$2,000 $2,270 $2,500 $2,400

$800

$3,280 $3,752

$5,883

$9,895

$11,862

$15,895

$0

$2,000

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

$12,000

$14,000

$16,000

Funding

88-89 89-90 90-91 91-92 92-93 93-94 94-95 95-96 96-97 97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01

Year

Amount of Funding vs. Years

REPEATED AWARDS

1

2

3

4

5

0

1

2

3

4

5

Aw

ard

s R

ecei

ved

# Schools vs Awards Received

20 9 4 4 1

# Schools

SEED GRANTS AWARDS PRESENTATION

Seed Grant Recipients for 2000Teachers, Principals, and Students

STUDENT’S PARTICIPATION

STUDENT’S PARTICIPATION