ACTC Receives NASA Grant for Youth Program

Ashland Community and Technical College has been awarded a grant from NASA to support Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning for area middle school students. The$2,500 grant is part of a NASA initiative called Summer of Innovation or SoI.

The NASA grant will provide ten scholarships for middle school students to participate in an Introduction to Robotics project this fall. The camp for students 9-14 years of age will be held Saturdays, October 12 to November 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the Roberts Drive Campus.

The camp curriculum includes Heavy Lifter, Effector, Hold Your Hand, and Out of Sight activities. Students will use what they learn to create and program robots to race and compete on the final day of camp.

Ten camp spaces are available on a first come basis. To register, go online under Youth Camps at http://ws.kctcs.edu/ashland/ or call ACTC Community Education, 606-326-2072.

SoI supports student interest in STEM by strengthening the capacity of community and school-based organizations that inspire and engage middle school students in STEM content. The project supports extended learning efforts designed to keep students involved in NASA-themed STEM activities.

The grant proposal was developed by Sarah Diamond Burroway, ACTCs Director of Grants and Contracts, and Karen Coburn, ACTCs Manager of External Education Programs.