Bristol’s Tennessee High Receives TVA Grant for Pioneering STEM Training

Bristol’s Tennessee High Receives TVA Grant for Pioneering STEM Training

In a significant advancement for education in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Bristol’s Tennessee High School has been granted funding by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The $5,000 grant will be directed towards innovative STEM projects to train students in cutting-edge fields, boosting their potential career paths in these promising sectors.

Awarded Among 300 Others

TVA has awarded the grant to more than 300 schools, with Tennessee High School, Bristol being one of the recipients. The School is serviced by Bristol Tennessee Essential Services for their power, a prerequisite for receiving grants from the TVA, which supports local schools providing STEM training facilities.

The funding will be directed towards the Viking Robotics Club’s project at Tennessee High School, wherein students will learn to connect scientific sensors to small computers.

Spark of Interest in STEM Careers

Reacting to the grant, Benji Lewis, a science and engineering teacher at Tennessee High School, expressed his excitement about providing students with early exposure to STEM careers. He believes the grant will help educators cultivate students’ interest in becoming potential engineers, software experts, or other STEM professionals.

Expanding STEM Opportunities

The grant was awarded in partnership with the Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc., a TVA retiree organization focused on developing STEM education programs. The grant will assist the educators in implementing a more comprehensive curriculum on STEM-related subjects and activities that will eventually inspire students to explore careers in these fields.

Personalized Learning & DIY Projects

As part of the grant project, students will be able to create their own scientific devices for physics, biology, chemistry, and agriculture courses. “Incorporating these student-built, DIY devices in science classrooms will showcase the myriad opportunities in the STEM and robotics domains,” said Lewis.

Hands-On Learning & Future Plans

Students from the Viking Robotics club will start by setting up and designing the scientific instruments this semester. Following this, mini lessons on electric circuits, soldering wire, and software coding will be offered during their club meetings. The project is planned to extend throughout the 2024-2025 school year, encouraging more students to participate in such constructive and inspiring learning experiences.

The Vision of TVA

Jeannette Mills, executive vice president and chief external relations officer at TVA, expressed the organization’s commitment to supporting schools and educators. “TVA is dedicated to inspiring an interest in STEM education among our youth as they are future leaders who will design and build the energy systems of tomorrow,” she said.

Since the association’s establishment in 2018, TVA and BVI together have granted close to $6 million in STEM grants to support local education.