The
Ohio STEM Learning Network (OSLN) recently received a $50,000 grant from the
Walmart Foundation. STEM refers to the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math. In addition to supporting overall OSLN operations, the funding will be used to facilitate the launch of new STEM schools in rural Ohio, including an academy that focuses on biosciences. Battelle, a global research and development organization in Columbus, supports and manages the OSLN.
According to Courtney Howard Hodapp, program manager of education and STEM learning at Battelle, Senator Chris Widener of Springfield and his staff have been working closely with Battelle, the OSLN and The Ohio State University to develop a bioscience high school to be located in or around Springfield.
“The school will work in partnership with Ohio State, much like the Metro Early College High School in Columbus, to provide learning opportunities, such as research, internships and classes, for students,” she explains. The school is still in the early planning stages.
“This grant from Walmart will allow the OSLN to continue to support the development of high-quality STEM schools across the state of Ohio,” Hodapp states. “We are able to assist with planning and curriculum development, not only for the Springfield biosciences school, but for other schools around the state in the start-up phase.”
Metro Early College High School was established in 2006 as a partnership among Battelle, The Ohio State University and the Education Council, which represents Franklin County’s 16 school districts.
“Metro’s first class of seniors graduated in 2010,” Hodapp says. “One hundred percent of seniors graduate and are accepted into college.” Metro was the first STEM school, both in Ohio and nationwide, and has become a model for STEM schools in Ohio and the United States.
The Ohio STEM Learning Network was developed by Battelle and the Ohio Business Roundtable -- with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the State of Ohio and other partners and stakeholders -- as the nation’s first-ever statewide network for STEM education.
Source: Courtney Howard Hodapp
Writer: Lynne Meyer