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April 15, 2003
Grants, Contests & Awards
By Susan Brooks-Young
Looking for funds to make an innovative technology project possible? Seeking recognition for outstanding teachers or students in your district? Here's a sampling of some great opportunities.
Do you have a student who demonstrates leadership in making the world a better place through a project focused on protecting the environment, stopping violence, helping others, or similar service work? Teachers, librarians, and other civic leaders may nominate a young person between the ages of 8 and 18 for the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. Winners are given cash awards of $2,000 each. The deadline for nominations is May 31. Visit the Web site for the nomination form and examples of past winners.
The Brower Youth Awards recognize six young people between the ages of 13 and 22 who have shown outstanding leadership in the areas of environmental conservation, preservation, and restoration. Each award recipient wins a $3,000 cash prize, a trip to San Francisco (for the winner and a chaperone) to attend the awards ceremony, a three-day wilderness encounter in Yosemite National Park, and national recognition. Past winning projects have included an oil recycling program and a campaign to save a wetlands area. Application materials and other information are available at the Web site. Entries are due June 1.
Directors of local science fairs affiliated with the International Science and Engineering Fair may nominate winning student projects from grades 5-8 for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, sponsored by Science Service and Discovery Channel School. Four hundred semifinalists will be selected based on the scientific merit of the work and their ability to communicate about science. Forty finalists receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the competition finals. First place is a $15,000 scholarship; second place is a $7,500 scholarship; third place is a $3,750 scholarship; fourth through 40th places each receive $500 scholarships. The entry form and additional information may be accessed at the Web site. Nominations are due June 1.
The National Science Foundation anticipates making 25-35 Teacher Professional Continuum Program awards in 2003. The grants range from $250,000 (for one- to two-year projects) to $1 million per year (for two- to five-year projects). Grants are intended to improve the quality of teacher preparation and ongoing support for K-12 science, technology, and math teachers through the development of innovative resources, use of research-based models and systems, and the dissemination of findings. State and local education agencies, school districts, universities, two- and four-year colleges, and other organizations are eligible to apply. Preliminary proposals are due May 19. Visit the Web site for more details.
The National Geographic Society Education Foundation is offering Teacher Grants to teachers and administrators working in accredited schools. A total of $100,000 is earmarked for these grants, which are awarded to individuals and are typically up to $5,000 each. Funded projects directly engage students and encourage them to understand the power and relevancy of geographic skills, the uses of geography, and spatial perspective. Applications are due by June 12. More information is available on the Web site.
Program of the Month Certified K-12 educators with a minimum of three years in-classroom experience and a bachelor's degree in education, physical science, biological science, or engineering are invited to apply for the NASA Educator Astronaut Program. Selected teachers will be trained to perform all of the functions and responsibilities that Mission Specialist astronauts are qualified to perform (space walks, International Space Station deployment, experiment management, and more). Visit edspace.nasa.gov for more information. It will be a rush to gather the application materials-which include medical history forms, an essay, and letters of reference-by the April 30 deadline, but it will be worth it.
 Visit the Grants Database to search through the extensive listings of grants and contests.
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