The National Science Foundation sponsors LV STEM as one of its GK12 projects (see www.gk12.org). LV STEM began funding in March 2007, building on results from a prior GK12 project at Lehigh University, from 2003-2006. Eight teams, each consisting of a Graduate Teaching Fellow (a Ph.D. student in one of six different STEM departments), Faculty Team Leader (from seven different departments), and two or three STEM teachers in the Allentown and Bethlehem Area School Districts, commenced curriculum development and activities in the fall of 2007. For more details, see our Project Description and Annual Reports on documents page.
Air Products: Dr. Frank Petroceli and a team of scientists and engineers are collaborating with the Engineering teams at Allen High School and Harrison-Morton Middle School.
CIMEL is an acronym for Constructive, collaborative Inquiry-based Multimedia E-learning. Developed at Lehigh with funding from the NSF (Grant # EIA-0087977), CIMEL contributes web-based multimedia with self-paced, interactive lessons introducing students to a breadth of computer science topics such as misconceptions about computer science, programming languages, software engineering, computer architecture, algorithms, operating systems, networks, user interface and web-based design (includinga tutorial for Flash), social and ethical issues, and articial intelligence.
Crayola LLC. provides a team of scientists and engineers from the company to work with the Chemistry Team at Freedom and Liberty High Schools.
Insaco, Inc. funds the Lehigh Valley Science and Engineering Research Fair for students in grades 6-12 at the level of $25,000, providing 3/4 of the total cost of the fair. Mr. Robert Haines, President of Insaco, recruits over 100 scientists and engineers to serve as judges for the fair.
Lehigh University has provided a cost-sharing grant to support the installation of Internet-2 networking infrastructure connecting Allentown and Bethlehem schools to Lehigh University and the rest of the web.
PITA (Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Association) has approved over $30,000 of leveraged funding to supplement support the project for fiscal year 2007-8. PITA also supports two projects closely related to LV STEM: 1) Enhancing First In Math™ Online With Teacher's Guides, Multimedia and Intelligent Tutoring, for $52,789 and TLC (Technology Literacy Curriculum) Development in Harris-Morton Middle School in Support of the Launch-IT Outreach Program, for $67,501. The latter project supports the acquisition of three Mars Rover robots and a state-of-the-art multimedia display wall for the Mars Mission Control Room, in support of the curriculum we are developing in Allentown School District.
PPL (Pennsylvania Power & Light) sponsors in class demonstrations, field trips and opportunities for high school students to “shadow" PPL employees on the job.
Suntex International, Inc. provides the FirstInMath web-based program at Broughal Middle School, Harrison-Morton Middle School and Fountain Hill Elementary School at half cost. As a result of the great success of the “24 game” at these schools, the Bethlehem Area School District negotiated a contract to put the program in all Elementary and Middle Schools in the District.
