Cultivating the Leaders of Tomorrow
What do an organic vegetable garden, a Great Lakes water-quality analysis, and the DNA mapping of fruit have in common? They’re all science projects funded by the Toshiba America Foundation (TAF), which offers science and math teachers across the United States grants to underwrite hands-on education. Founded in 1990 through an endowment created by Toshiba, TAF provides around 150 educational grants every year, in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $25,000.
“The method we use is unique in that TAF gives grants directly to individual classroom teachers to help them with their wish lists for instructional equipment and to support projects to make the classroom more exciting for students,” Laura Cronin, director of TAF, explains. “Once the students start doing real science and get a sense of how it’s connected to their everyday lives, it becomes fun and exciting.”
Cronin explains that the foundation’s goals are aligned with Toshiba’s desire to contribute in a meaningful way to the community. “Education is always at the top of the list in terms of U.S. charitable concerns,” she notes. “Science and technology are disciplines in which Toshiba has expertise, and so through these grants we can help prepare the next generation.”
A partnership between TAF and Toshiba also led to a second educational endeavor called ExploraVision, which is a nationwide science contest co-sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). “ExploraVision invites students from throughout the United States and Canada to explore solutions for contemporary problems by imagining future technologies,” Cronin explains. “The students think about something that’s happening today that’s important to them, and then they imagine the technology 20 years into the future and invent a solution.”
ExploraVision entries are judged by the NSTA, and finalists are judged by experts from NASA, the National Institutes of Health and other prestigious institutions. “The ideas are extraordinary,” Cronin says. “The children are amazingly imaginative, and their wonderful teachers coach participating students to help bring their ideas to life.”
Cronin emphasizes the importance of working directly with teachers to create innovative new educational opportunities for students. “The teachers are the experts,” she says. “Toshiba America Foundation has a direct impact based on their expertise, and on their passions and interests, and that’s why the foundation supports projects designed by teachers in individual classrooms all over the country.”
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Tags: education, funding, grants
Category: Education & Training —