Apr 10 2014
Investing in education to advance innovation and protect the environment is a hallmark of Bosch, a company whose products are “Invented for life.” The Bosch Anderson plant and the Bosch Community Fund (BCF), a U.S.-based foundation, recently awarded nearly a quarter of a million dollars in Anderson, S.C., in various grants to support students’ learning and hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and sustainability initiatives.
The grants were presented during the past several weeks by leadership from Bosch’s Anderson plant at various school meetings and events. This includes a $100,000 grant to Tri-County Technical College, which was presented today to Dr. Ronnie L. Booth, college president. Several grants, totaling about $124,000, were awarded to Anderson School Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. And, the presentation of a $25,000 environmental grant for Sadlers Creek State Park will be made later this spring at the park.
The grant to Tri-County Technical College will support the Mechatronics and Industrial Electronics Technology programs. The funds will go toward upgrading equipment offerings in the programs, providing additional laboratory sections and allowing the hiring of adjunct faculty for these expanded laboratories to give more personal attention to students. This grant will enable Tri-County Technical College to further engage students and help develop a technical workforce.
“We look for opportunities in the U.S. to encourage the next generation of talented young men and women to pursue educational goals in STEM subjects and sustainability initiatives,” said John Kuta, senior vice president, plant manager technical, at Bosch of Anderson. “These grants will help further engage students and provide even more opportunity for them.
“Bosch is very honored to award these grants to Anderson, a community where we have such deep roots and where many of our associates and their families live,” Kuta said.
According to Dr. Booth, partnerships with industry are essential to his college’s success: “Tri-County Technical College has long enjoyed a good working relationship with Bosch Anderson. Having the perspective of industry is important because it helps the Tri-County faculty develop meaningful programs so that our students can successfully enter the world of work and grow in their respective careers. Today, we named two labs – a mechatronics lab and an industrial electronics lab – in Bosch’s honor. Having our labs associated with a respected, global company like Bosch will serve as a constant reminder of our shared commitment to education.”
In addition to the Tri-County Technical College grant, Randy Bunch, director of human resources and continuous improvement process at Bosch’s Anderson plant, delivered these grants to the following organizations:
- Anderson School District 1: This $25,000 grant to Anderson School District 1 supports the continued, successful implementation of two programs. First, the grant will purchase STEM kits made available by the SAE International, "A World in Motion” (AWIM). The kits will be given to every fifth-grade classroom in all elementary schools for Anderson’s School District 1. Benchmarked to national standards, the AWIM program incorporates the laws of physics, motion, flight and electronics into age-appropriate, hands-on activities that reinforce classroom STEM curriculum. In addition, this grant will provide AWIM Fuel Cell Kits for the Palmetto High School physics class. Both of these important modules provide students the opportunity to work together to design and test their own theories with an actual product, and to present their findings in an attempt to sell their product to a manufacturer.
- Anderson School District 2: This $25,000 grant will support a three-week STEM summer program hosting 200 at-risk, first- through fourth-grade students. In a daily STEM career exploration session, the program will provide project-based activities and study themes around inventing.
- Anderson School District 3: This $24,336 grant was divided to support five separate projects for a number of schools. Included in the projects are professional training for five teachers at the iSTEM Institute, as well as a family engineering night to increase the community’s understanding of STEM. The grant also will provide innovative technology to increase student’s research and inquiry-based learning, and support the Junior FIRST LEGO™ League, the CO2 Dragster Project and Conservation ‘App’titude project.
- Anderson School District 4: This $25,000 grant will support a district-wide program called STEMulating Inquiry, Investigation and Innovation. This project is designed to integrate STEM project-based instructional strategies for K-12 students and provide professional development for district teachers.
- Anderson School District 5: This $24,788 grant will support Camp Discovery, a two-week summer STEM-enrichment program for children from the Title I Schools in the district. The goal of this program is to focus on at-risk students and to increase their awareness, understanding and knowledge of STEM content with a focus on ecosystems.
- Beautiful Places Alliance: This $25,000 grant to the Beautiful Places Alliance supports the development of an interpretive environment at Sadlers Creek State Park. The grant will provide for environmental education and interpretation to groups, individuals and the community at large, and encourage the community to interact with the wonderful natural environment at Sadlers Creek. The project includes trailside interpretive signage, a fisheries management kiosk and several waysides on the fishing pier. A formal check presentation will be made at the park at a later date.
About the Bosch Community Fund:
The Bosch Community Fund, a U.S.-based foundation established in September 2011, awards up to $3 million annually in grants to various 501(c)(3) organizations and educational institutions. The BCF focuses primarily on the enrichment of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and the advancement of environmental sustainability initiatives.