Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
Tennessee Valley Chapter of NDIA
STEM Initiatives
Bob Darnall
Chapter President
Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
Chapter Organization
• Board of Directors
• Space and Missile Defense Working Group (SMDWG)Concentrates on Missile Defense activities
• General Membership
Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
Support for Kindergarten through Graduate School
• STEDTRAIN
• ACTE
• UAH Science Fair
• Adventures in Engineering
• Undergraduate Scholarships
• Graduate Fellowships
Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
STEDTRAIN(Science & Technology, Education & Training)
• Organization chartered under Huntsville Association of Technical Societies
• Provides $200-$1000 Seed Grants to K-12 teachers for projects that would otherwise not be fundedTeachers submit grant requests in springSubmissions are rank orderedMoney is distributed at the start of school year based
on funding collectedBoard members provide support/mentoring to
teachers throughout the yearTeachers present results at spring conference
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NDIA/TVC Participation
• Major contributor for the past 6 years
• Several Board members on STEDTRAIN Board and participate in both grant evaluations and mentoring of teachers
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TEACHER PRESENTATIONS
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"K-12 teachers have almost no funds for hands-on science projects and hands-on has been shown to provide the best kinds of educational experiences. The STEDTRAIN Seed Grants make possible what otherwise could not be."
"The best part of the Seed Grant was the extensive parental and community involvement. It is bringing the community together."
"The children worked together as teams, each child contributing and each child learning from the others."
"Some of our students are finding that their participation in the Seed Grant is helping their college applications. Now they can show research experience on their resumes."
What STEDTRAIN Seed Grant teachers say about the program: (Paraphrased)
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ACTE
• Science Fair for 5th-12th Grades
• One day competition
• NDIA/TVC is a significant source of judges
• In past years we have provided Space Camp scholarships to winners
Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH) Science Fair
• High School Students participate at local University
• NDIA/TVC sponsors the Physics Category
• NDIA/TVC provides judges
Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
Adventures in Engineering
• Co-sponsored with Air, Space and Missile Defense Association (ASMDA)
• One day “On Site” opportunity for High School Juniors and Seniors to see what Engineers do:Breakfast at UAH with speakerVisit multiple Government & Industry locations
AM/PMLunch at U.S. Space & Rocket Center Museum
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Undergraduate Scholarships
• Scholarship money provided to local Universities UAH and Alabama A&M University (AAMU)
• Two $1000 Scholarships for each University• Increasing to four $1000 Scholarships per
University for 2007/2008• MOA with each University that defines areas of
interest:UAH – Industrial, SW, Elect, & Aero EngAAMU – EE, ME, Eng Tech, & Computer Science
Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
Graduate Fellowships
• $2000 each• US Citizen• Research must be in area supporting
Space and/or Missile Technology• Emphasis on the Southeast – desire to
attract good students to the Huntsville area
• Seven awards this year – Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Auburn, UAH, Alabama
Tennessee Valley ChapterTennessee Valley Chapter
Summary
• STEM: Not a new concept to the Tennessee Valley Chapter (TVC)• Several years ago we invited UAH head of Electrical & Computer
Engineering Department to be on the Board– Resulted in increased interaction with Academia– NDIA/TVC President serves on UAH Industrial Advisory Board– UAH Board Member was logical choice as STEM Coordinator
• STEM Initiatives have been well received – Never cancelled or curtailed and always increasing, subject to funds and volunteer availability
• Direct impact on BRAC Decisions: 1995 & 2005• Significant interaction and feedback between Educational
Institutions and Employers/Workplace• TVC would be Happy to Host a STEM Conference/Symposium as
soon as Practical