FALLS CHURCH, Va., Nov. 3, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Foundation announced the 20 public middle school semifinalists in its Fab School Labs science classroom makeover contest. With the support of their local communities and the public at large as part of a week-long online voting campaign scheduled from Monday, Nov. 16 to Friday, Nov. 20 the semifinalist schools will have an opportunity to receive votes to make their dreams of a state-of-the-art science lab a reality with one of five available grants up to $100,000 each.
From outdated equipment and an overall lack of functional space for students to work, to a need for more safe and secure classrooms to be able to conduct experiments, the contest submissions cast a spotlight on today's middle school science facilities and the need to help bring them up to the learning standards required to meet the growing technological advancements and demands of our society.
The schedule for online voting and Fab School Labs contest semifinalist schools, which hail from 12 states and 20 cities, are as follows:
Voting Day One - Monday, Nov.16
Benjamin Syms Middle School (Hampton, Va.)
Harrington Middle School (Mt. Laurel, N.J.)
Princess Anne Middle School (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Willetts Middle School (Brunswick, Ohio)
Voting Day Two - Tuesday, Nov. 17
Clifton Middle School (Monrovia, Calif.)
Dawnwood Middle School (Centereach, N.Y.)
Legacy Preparatory Charter Academy (Plano, Texas)
Selden Middle School (Centereach, N.Y.)
Voting Day Three – Wednesday, Nov. 18
Aurora Frontier P-8 (Aurora, Colo.)
Browns River Middle School (Jericho, Vt.)
Calavera Middle School (Carlsbad, Calif.)
Stewartville Middle School (Stewartville, Minn.)
Voting Day Four – Thursday, Nov. 19
Crittenden Middle School (Newport News, Va.)
Louise Radloff Middle School (Duluth, Ga.)
Lucille M. Brown Middle School (Richmond, Va.)
New Bridge Middle School (Jacksonville, N.C.)
Voting Day Five – Friday, Nov. 20
Bertha Sadler Means Young Women's Leadership Academy (Austin, Texas)
Brookville Intermediate School (Brookville, Ohio)
Herndon Middle School (Herndon, Va.)
Hyde Park Middle School (Las Vegas, Nev.)
The Fab School Labs contest has been designed to drive student interest in STEM by giving public middle school teachers and school administrators the chance to create the STEM lab of their dreams and provide students access to the latest learning tools and technologies that will stimulate as well as teach.
Inadequate access to funds and facilities are frequently cited problems by educators as it relates to science and mathematics education at the elementary and middle school level, according to the National Science Board and other education sources. To help meet the education demands of today's fast-paced, technology-driven world, the Northrop Grumman Foundation – through its Fab School Labs program – is helping today's science and STEM labs and classrooms become places of inspiration, imagination and opportunity for students.
"Enhancing classroom tools is another way to help our teachers boost the science and technology learning experience for their students," said Sandra Evers-Manly, Northrop Grumman vice president, Global Corporate Responsibility and president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation. "Young people are naturally inquisitive and adept at so many of the technologies we have available to us today. With the help of teachers and the community at large, we look forward to giving kids the chance to succeed and thrive as they engage in the exciting fields of science, technology, engineering and math where they can let their imagination soar."
Nearly 200 schools participated in the contest submitting videos, photos and sharing their school's vision for a state-of-the-art science lab. The contest, which was announced earlier this year, invited teachers, principals and school administrators to share their vision for a dream science lab and to tell their school's story through video, photos, and a brief essay. All submissions were reviewed by a team comprised of Flinn Scientific and an independent consultant. The top 20 semifinalist schools were chosen based on a scoring system that included existing classroom/lab resources, level of need, students impacted, feasibility of upgrades and plans proposed, and meeting the contest eligibility requirements and entry criteria.
To help determine the final five winning school grant recipients, Northrop Grumman Foundation will engage the public's help via an online voting campaign hosted on the Fab School Labs Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FabSchoolLabs beginning Monday, Nov. 16. Once all of the online votes have been cast, a final selection process will be conducted by the Fab School Labs team to determine the top five grant recipients. The winning schools will then work with a design and engineering company to build a lab with all of the tools, resources and furnishings needed.
To learn more about the Fab School Labs contest, visit www.FabSchoolLabs.com. To vote once the online public voting window is open, or to follow the competition, visit Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FabSchoolLabs.
Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation www.northropgrumman.com/foundation, are committed to expanding and enhancing the pipeline of diverse, talented STEM students globally. They provide funding to sustainable STEM programs that span from preschool to high school and through collegiate levels, with a major emphasis on middle school students and teachers. In 2014, Northrop Grumman and the Northrop Grumman Foundation continued outreach efforts by contributing $15.9 million to diverse STEM-related groups such as the Air Force Association (CyberPatriot), Conservation International (ECO Classroom), the REC Foundation (VEX Robotics), National Science Teachers Association and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering.