Sponsored by PPL Corporation, the program will help educators bring STEM to life with a total of 15 $1,000 grants.
Bethlehem, Pa. — September 29, 2016 — PPL Empowering Educators, a grant program designed to help teachers provide hands-on learning to students by making science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) interesting and fun, has expanded to accept submissions from teams in grades K-12.
“The PPL Empowering Educators grant program is a great way to give local students hands-on STEM learning experiences,” said Tim Fallon, PBS39 CEO. “We are happy to now include our high school communities as eligible participants, and look forward to seeing what STEM solutions these bright students and educators can create together.”
Teacher-led student teams will enter design ideas for STEM-related educational projects, such as science fairs, energy conservation projects, renewable energy demonstrations, and math competitions. Entries will be judged on: project proposal, school need, and potential overall impact. The educational teams from PBS39, WITF (Harrisburg), and WVIA (Pittston) will each select five winning ideas.
In early December, fifteen $1,000 grants will be awarded to educators in the twenty-nine Pennsylvania counties served by PPL, with five awarded locally. Since the program’s inception in 2003, PPL has awarded more than $165,000 for projects in 93 schools throughout the PPL service area. “The success of our future workforce depends on today’s students having experience in and enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math,” said Carol Obando-Derstine, regional affairs director for PPL. “We’re excited to partner with our local PBS stations to support teachers and school projects through the Empowering Educators grants to help generate students’ interest in these exciting fields.” Educators of students in grades K-12 are encouraged to apply. Grant entries are available via online application through Oct. 31. Awards will be announced Dec. 2, 2016. Projects must be completed by Apr. 15, 2017, with a final report submitted to the applicant’s local station by May 6, 2017.
Teams will celebrate their success during ceremonies held in May at their local public television stations. Students are required to prepare a 2-3 minute presentation reflecting on their experience and the impact the project had on the community. Video presentations are encouraged.
About PBS39
PBS39 is a community-owned public television station licensed to Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, PA, serving eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. PBS39 is owned and operated by the Lehigh Valley Public Telecommunications Corporation. The mission of PBS39 is to educate, inspire, inform, and entertain, while stimulating the exchange of ideas for community enrichment. For more information, please visit wlvt.org.
About PPL Corporation
Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) is one of the largest companies in the U.S. utility sector. PPL’s seven high-performing, award-winning utilities serve 10 million customers in the U.S. and United Kingdom. The company and its 13,000 employees are dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and reliability and delivering superior value for shareowners. To learn more, visit www.pplweb.com.
Press Release Provided By:
DaWayne Cleckley
VP, Marketing PBS39
