Call for Proposals: VASE Small Equipment Grants to K-12 Teachers 2019 Deadline: September 30, 2019

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The Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering (VASE) is pleased to announce our fifth annual program of small equipment grants to K-12 teachers in Vermont schools. This program is part of the VASE STEM outreach activity and is funded by the Vermont Technology Council. Additional information about VASE can be found at http://www.VTSciEng.org Specific details about the program are given below.

Part of VASE's mission is to grow interest in Science and Engineering careers throughout Vermont. The VASE Small Equipment Grants program is designed to increase student interest by providing opportunities for direct, hands-on activities that enable students to experience the excitement of science and engineering directly. Developing such activities inevitably requires some associated hardware/software with costs that exceed the normal budgets available for classroom instruction, so we are providing a pathway for teacher-student teams to design projects that go beyond the standard laboratory experience. Consequently, a premium will be placed on innovative, exciting projects that are well designed, have a straightforward path toward implementation, and are outside the established curriculum rather than supplementing an existing course or laboratory experience. We hope to make up to ten awards annually, each typically in the $500-$1000 range.

This program is intended to support curriculum-driven activities, and is explicitly not intended to support entries in extracurricular competitions such as robotics, etc. A list of past awardees. 

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Proposal Submission

All proposals are to be submitted electronically to VASE President Frank Winkler, at the address below. They should be in the form of a single PDF document, submitted as an e-mail attachment. Please adhere to the following format:

1. Cover Page: Please include the following on the first page of the proposal:

   • Name of primary applicant

   • E-mail address of primary applicant

   • Title of project

   • Name of school

   • Town or city where school is located, and the school district

   • Brief description of the school: what grades are taught, what is the total enrollment, describe the demographic of the student population.

   • Co-applicants (when applicable; often teams of 2- 3 teachers collaborate on a project)

   • E-mail addresses for co-applicants (when applicable)

   • Funding amount requested from VASE (normally not over $1000)

   • Additional funding sources and amounts available for the project, if applicable

   • Abstract of the project: a paragraph summary, no more than about 200 words

2. Description and motivation of the project: Please include the following points on the subsequent pages:

   • Describe an independent, student-centered project that the proposed purchase(s) will help enable. We particularly encourage projects with student input in the design. 

   • A budget, including specific item(s) proposed for purchase, with price quotes or catalog pricing.

   • Rationale for the choice of items to be purchased. 

   • Specific activities utilizing the proposed purchases. Also, include a plan for continued use of the equipment in subsequent years. 

   • Evaluation plan for the activity.
      

3. Proposal Length and format: The entire proposal should not exceed 5 pages; all text should be in an easily legible font of size no smaller than 12 points.
    

4. Deadline: Proposals are to be submitted electronically by 5:00 PM EDT, Monday, September 30, 2019 as a PDF attachment to the e-mail address given below.  We expect to announce awards by early November 2019, with the hope that the projects will be initiated during the 2019-20 academic year.  Teacher and student teams will present a report on the project at the Spring 2020 VASE meeting (usually scheduled between mid-April and early June).

5. Reporting: 

   • Grantees will be invited to attend the Spring 2020 VASE meeting and give a presentation on the outcomes of the project (poster, video, or PowerPoint loop of slides). Participating students are also welcome and encouraged to attend. 

   • Grantees will submit a brief written final report summarizing project outcomes and future plans. 

   • We encourage grantee teams to prepare a brief (few minute) creative YouTube video of their project.

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The VASE membership extends to a variety of Vermont private and academic sectors, and thus we may be able to facilitate connections that serve teachers' additional needs. If this is the case, contact us (at the address below) to start a discussion of the program you envision.


Address for Submission or questions

Prof Grace Spatafora VASE President
Email: