$100,000 Grant Helps Champion STEM Education in Nissan Communities
WARRENDALE, Pa. (January 6, 2021) – SAE Foundation announced today that it received a $100,000 grant from Nissan. The grant is the latest in the 27-year long partnership between Nissan and the SAE Foundation, which has put tools into the hands of educators to inspire students’ interest and empower their passion in STEM projects. Nissan’s work with SAE International’s A World In Motion® (AWIM) program builds a foundation upon which students can achieve success and brings inspiration, accessibility and equity to STEM education.
The next step for SAE and Nissan is to implement and expand AWIM throughout Nissan communities in five states: Arizona, Michigan, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. These efforts demonstrate Nissan's local support of education through the AWIM curriculum and help build a network of potential STEM volunteer opportunities for Nissan employees in each target community.
“Nissan has demonstrated a true commitment to building relationships in communities and providing a solid foundation to help students succeed in future education and career endeavors,” said Lori Gatmaitan, director of the SAE Foundation. “As we have experienced the recent disruptions in education, keeping hands-on STEM learning alive is more important than ever. By combining practical, experiential learning with mentorship, AWIM delivers solid results with measurable impact, paving an equitable path to future STEM career opportunities.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-classroom activity has turned to virtual and hybrid learning models. Educators and families are facing unprecedented challenges to keep students on track to achieve educational objectives and prepare them to advance on schedule to a new grade level.
“Nissan’s support of education is strong regardless of the form it takes for students. We’re thrilled the AWIM program is reaching students in both traditional and remote learning environments,” said Parul Bajaj, senior manager of philanthropy at Nissan. “AWIM exposes students to the infinite possibilities having a solid STEM education provides, and the need to develop versatile skills that are in high demand in today’s modern, global marketplace.”
Nissan’s support provides flexible teacher/volunteer training options and AWIM programming that is adapted to virtual offerings, creating online and at-home STEM learning experiences that teachers, volunteers and families can easily incorporate into remote education efforts.
About SAE Foundation
The mission of the SAE Foundation is to increase student achievement and participation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to build a STEM-fluent workforce. Funds raised by the SAE Foundation support SAE International’s award-winning A World In Motion® (AWIM) program, Collegiate Design Series™ (CDS), awards and scholarships. SAE’s STEM education programs enable students to develop the 21st century skills needed to succeed in real-world work environments and connect classroom learning with real-life application. SAE’s STEM programs have reached more than 6 million students worldwide and engaged more than 30,000 STEM industry professionals as volunteers. SAE International is a global association engaging nearly 200,000 engineers, technical experts and volunteers to advance mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. Get involved today. www.http://saefoundation.org
About Nissan
For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit: nissanusa.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.
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