Capacity Building Grants
($1000- $5,000 Due by October 15 of the year)

Goal:
Capacity Building Grants are for projects and materials that build long-term capacity at K-12 schools or educational non-profits. Examples may include investments in technology, laboratory-building, or teaching materials. The grants may also include equipment for projects that can be used every year, such as a robotics or engineering club, classroom technology, etc.

Award Details:
Awards may vary in size from $1,000-$5,000 per project. Amounts depend on the application. Application deadline for the Capacity Building Grant is October 1st of the year.

Eligible Applicants:
Applicants may include teachers or administrators at a K-12 school or educational nonprofit engaged in work with students in grades K-12. We will accept multiple applications from any given institution, but there will be only one grant awarded per institution. Board members, employees or close relatives of employees and board members of Terra Science and Education are not eligible to apply.

Criteria:
In order to best serve the educational community, we will choose grants on the basis of the following criteria:
  • Innovative nature of investment
  • Reusability of investment
  • Number of students impacted
  • Reasonable plan for timing and cost of implementation

Apply:
Download and fill out the application form and email it to [email protected] by the October 15 of the year.

Progress Report:
Download and fill out the progress report and email it to [email protected].

Final Report:
Download and fill out the final report and email it to [email protected].

Abraham Lincoln School No. 22, Rochester, NY, PI: Colleen Tyler - $2,875.84
Learn to Code
Abraham Lincoln School No. 22 will help 3rd- 6th grade students learn the basics of coding. The grant project will use Sphero littleBits to assist students and their families learn coding skills with the goal to inspire them to be inventors and problem solvers.

Rochester School for the Deaf, Rochester, NY, PI: Susan Ogden - $1,066.52
Exposing Deaf Students to STEM Careers
Rochester School for the Deaf will use BOCES 4 Science STEM toolkits to introduce STEM topics and careers to 5th- 8th grade students. The grant provides hands-on projects, experiments and workbooks to help students discover and explore STEM topics and possible STEM careers.

School for the Arts, Rochester, NY, PI: Paul M. Geary- $2,784.77
Discovering Drones
School for the Arts will use drones to provide students with the opportunity to build, program and pilot their own drones in collaborative teams. Students will be given a series of weekly problems to overcome, including programming challenges and navigating physical obstacle challenges. A final challenge will test all of the combined skills they have learned.

St. Ambrose Academy, Rochester, NY, PI: Christine Deutsch - $5,000
Using Technology to Increase Educational Resources and Community Involvement
St. Ambrose Academy will purchase three new Smartboards to support trained teachers to develop programs such as virtual trips to museums and the Philharmonic. St. Ambrose’s intergenerational music program with a local senior living facility will also resume.

Dr. King Elementary School, Syracuse, NY PI: Andrea Buckvold- $1,7997
STEAM at Dr. King
Dr. King Elementary School will purchase a MakerBot Sketch Classroom Kit. The grant project will allow students to print 3-D items that the students have designed. The printers and materials will be available to 4th and 5th grade students individually, and to all other students by classroom. Teacher training and curriculum resources will be available to all teachers.

Syracuse Academy of Science High School, Syracuse, NY PI: Pam Smith - $2,500
Robotics Club and Engineering Classroom Capacity Building
Syracuse Academy of Science High School will use robotics and engineering kits to provide students with the opportunity to develop their collaborative engineering skills as they participate in a variety of competitions.

Syracuse Academy of Science Elementary School, Syracuse, NY, PI: Victoria Toper - $4,308.93
Makerspace Resource Room
Syracuse Academy of Science Elementary School will create a STEAM room equipped with Makerspace resources. The grant will provide students with hands-on manipulatives to use as they enhance their creative thinking, problem solving and collaborative skills.

Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship, Syracuse, NY, PIs: Hayley Merritt and Ryan Thayer - $1,898.14
STEM on the Go
Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship will purchase materials to support high quality, engaging, STEM-based projects for students to work on at home. The program will help students develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills, as well as expand their creativity, flexibility and curiosity.

Brasher Falls Central School District, Brasher Falls, NY, PI: Alexandra Clark - $3,700
BFCSD Science Capacity Building Initiative
Brasher Falls Central School District will continue to expand the technology within the science departments of the middle and high school. The grant project will add incubators and microcentrifuges to laboratory equipment being used to improve students’ laboratory science skills, enrich the science program, and inspire Brasher Fall students’ interest in science.

A. A. Kingston Middle School, Potsdam, NY, PI: Jesse Peterson - $5,000
CAD/3D Printing
A. A. Kingston Middle School will use Makerbot Replicator Plus 3D printers that will allow each student to print their own Computer-Aided Design (CAD) creations and support CAD/3D printing as a part of the technology curriculum for future years.

Utica Academy of Science Elementary School, Utica, NY, PI: Genevieve Campanella - $5,000
Launching a Library/Media Center
Utica Academy of Science Elementary School will create a library/media center for students and lifelong learners. The center will be stocked with books, magazines, hands-on learning materials, technology tools, and supervised activities for scholars and their families, providing a “positive, diverse learning environment where compassion, curiosity, and learning will be nurtured.”

Ticonderoga Elementary School, Ticonderoga, NY PI: Kerry Fingland - $4,976
STEAM Technology Station for Grades 4-6
Ticonderoga Elementary School will purchase Ipads and supporting technology to create a STEAM Technology Station. The station will be available for art, music, technology, home and careers, and subject-area teachers to use for project-based learning that builds “real world” skills that can be applied towards future jobs in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.

Marcus Whitman High School, PI: Jonathan Pragle - $4,982.14
Canoes at Marcus Whitman Outdoor Campus
Marcus Whitman High School will purchase three new canoes to use at their Marcus Whitman Outdoor Campus. The canoes will allow students to use scientific equipment to study aquatic ecology in Living Environment classes, topography in Earth Science classes, water quality in Chemistry classes, and numerous other lessons in elective classes.

McConnellsville Elementary School, PI: Emily Closinski - $971.03
Lighting It Up in Kindergartenhe
McConnellsville Elementary School will use a light table and accessories to allow kindergarten students to explore using their sense of sight while manipulating objects that interact with light. The table can be used for all subjects and provide hands-on experiences for students.

Letchworth Central School District, PI: Julie Pernesky - $5,000
LCS Agriculture and Technology Academy
Letchworth Central School District will use funds to purchase work benches, soil testing kits, a hand held refractometer, a small engine compressor and a variety of other materials. The tools and resources will equip students to partner with local farms, businesses and professionals to conduct research and develop unique solutions to contemporary issues.

Fitzhugh Park Elementary School, Oswego, NY, PI: Nicholas Little - $490.24
Green House for Healthy Eating
TEAM Fitzhugh will extend its red worm composting project to include an inside, 5-tiered greenhouse that uses the compost to generate fresh vegetables. Students will track the garden growth, present information on vegetable health benefits, and encourage other classes to create their own garden.

Odessa-Montour Central School District, Odessa, NY, PI: Christopher Wood - $3,053
Weather Watch
The Odessa-Montour Central School District will install a Davis weather station, a set of receivers and a hub that will send data to the cloud making weather data available to the entire community. Students will learn to describe and measure sky cover, temperature, wind, humidity, and precipitation; and will try their hands at weather forecasting, and presenting their weather forecasts to the entire student body on live-streaming TV during morning announcements.

Fall Creek Elementary School, Ithaca, NY, PI: Maureen Gilroy - $3,550
Rigamajig for Design and Problem Solving
The school librarian will coordinate with teachers to enhance social studies and science lessons to provide students with opportunities to design, create and problem solve in the library. A Rigamajig kit will make mastering standards exciting and more realistic with solid and sturdy products that can actually be used to help to solve a real world problem. Rigamajig kits will give students an opportunity to work collaboratively and use their imagination to make something or solve a STEM challenge.

Maine Memorial Elementary, Maine, NY, PI: Sara Edwards - $3,494.07
Creating 21st Century Innovators
The Maine Memorial Elementary School will provide all students from early kindergarten to fifth grade with the opportunity to use various STEAM activities and technology that will prepare them to become 21s century learners, enhancing their creativity, inquisitiveness, collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Victor Primary School, Victor, NY, PI: Michele Linse- $2,020.87
Coding a Culture of Creativity and Innovation: Project Spark Week
Victor Primary School will provide a much needed STEM boost through the purchase of 12 Sphero Spk+ robots and controllers, creating an innovative investment impacting over 1,500 students over at least 4 years. The librarian will create a week-long classroom experience scaffolded at 3 levels so minimally trained classroom teachers can adopt the robotics for a week and use them effectively in student partnerships.

Brasher Falls Central School District, Brasher Falls, NY, PI: Alexandra Clark- $3,541
BFCSD Science Capacity Building Initiative
Brasher Falls CSD will purchase STEM equipment to serve students in both the middle school and high school science classrooms and serve students doing independent research; the equipment may also potentially be used by elementary school teachers in their classrooms. The new equipment will build Brasher Falls’ science and technology capacity in hopes of preparing for the NGSS, improving laboratory science skills, enriching the science program, and inspiring interest in science.

Homer Intermediate School, Homer, NY, PI: Kathleen Totman - $4,299.09
Amazing “Field Trips” are Now Possible with Virtual Reality
Homer Intermediate School Library will purchase virtual reality (VR) headsets kits and Merge cubes to provide augmented reality (AR) experiences. Students will have the opportunity to virtually “visit” places around the world, and venture into a variety of educational, interactive experiences.

Morris Central School, Morris, NY, PI: Heather Grant- $4,000
Elementary Science Laboratory Revitalization Project
This first step in updating the Elementary Science lab includes purchasing STEM activities, technology and laboratory kits and supplies, in order for teachers to work with students on inquiry-based, hands-on science activities.

Stockbridge Valley Central School, PI: Melissa Grogan- $2,988.90
Breaking Barriers Though Virtual Reality
Bringing virtual reality technology into the classroom will provide the students in this small, rural school with cultural and educational experiences that they would otherwise not have access to in the community.

Van Duyn Elementary, Syracuse, NY, PI: Maura White- $1,133.50
Deepening Science Inquiry of the NYSSLS in Grades K-2
Van Duyn Elementary will build NYSSLS-based kits for each K-2 classroom that will focus on all required science domains to ensure deep understanding of foundational knowledge, practices and cross-cutting concepts.

Merton Williams Middle School, Hilton, NY, PI: Angela Boccuzzi-Reichert- $2,804.10
How does our garden grow?
Career and Technical Education Classes (CTE) will build and maintain a greenhouse to provide students with real-world, hands-on experiences that align to the current curriculum. The greenhouse project will be a collaborative effort between construction, agriculture, entrepreneurship and international culinary CTE classes.

Utica Academy of Science Charter School/Elementary, Utica, NY, PI: Genevieve Campanella- $1,400
Full STEAM Ahead at Utica Academy of Science Elementary School
Focused learning activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) will provide authentic, realistic and developmentally appropriate experiences for student scholars and their parents. School goals include engaging parents and involving community members in school programs, as well as encouraging interdisciplinary learning units at each grade level.

Casey Park Elementary, Auburn, NY, PI: Shannon DelloStritto- $1,832.76
All STEAM Ahead Phase 2
Engaging STEAM activities will continue to be provided for kindergarten through sixth grade students with even more opportunities to explore, craft and create assorted ideas on different STEAM tasks.

Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, NY, PI: Tim Saka- $4,850
Makerspace- Robotics Program
The OCC Library Makerspace mission is to provide classes, programming, and resources that promote student learning through exploration and hands-on activities in a community-based, inclusive environment. This project will introduce students to robotics, enable students to learn basic robotics programming, and encourage students to develop their interest and skills in robotics.

Bloomfield Elementary School, Bloomfield, NY, PI: Beth Falsone- $907.74
Makey-Makey Re-Invents the Classroom
This enrichment program will be offered to all 4th grade students. After learning how to create a circuit and code, students will design a Makey-Makey project that will have them interacting with the world around them in unique and creative ways.

Wheeler Elementary School, Nedrow, NY, PI: Jessica Matzke- $1,680
Empowering Global Learners with Sphero
Through this hands-on project, students will use Spheros BOLT robots as digital tools to help broaden their perspectives, enrich their computer science learning, and inspire curiosity, creativity and invention through connected play and coding. Students will collaborate with teachers and classmates, working effectively in teams toward a common goal. Spheros will be implemented across all subject areas and in afterschool STEM Squad and Technology Internship clubs. Students can publish their work through the existing global Sphero network.

Oxford Academy and Central Schools, Oxford, NY, PI: Uday Mukhlis- $3,209.53
Preparing for the Future: Full STEAM Ahead!
Oxford has converted an old bus garage into a half-million-dollar STEAM Academy. This project provides materials and supplies for the STEAM initiative with the purchase of the littleBits Pro Library and additional materials that will help students learn.

Frankfort-Schuyler Central School District, Frankfort, NY, PI: Jordan Purinton- $2,883.65
Frankfort-Schuyler FLL (First Lego League)
A Fist Lego League school team will be formed at Frankfort-Schuyler Middle School to raise interest and awareness of STEM. The students can continue to pursue their interests utilizing the strong, high school STEM education programs already available.

McGraw CSD Elementary School, McGraw, NY, PI: Susan Prince- $2,500
McGraw Afterschool Enrichment Program
McGraw’s afterschool Enrichment Program offers a variety of experiences for students in grades 1-5. Current offerings such as Science Club, Lego Mania, Nature Crafts, Kids Coding, FabMaker and Cooking will continue to offer engaging STEAM opportunities to students.

Remsen Central School District, Remsen, NY, PI: Anne Reilly- $1,941
Science Fair Technology Integration
This program will provide Remsen’s Junior High Science Fair students with support to develop more complex projects through the integration of technology into their presentations. Students will learn to code using MakerBit+R kits, and the acquisition of a 3D printer will allow students to design and create solutions to scientific problems, leading to innovative projects and increased student engagement.

Sherbune-Earlville Central School District, Sherburne, NY, PI: Jonathan Ryan- $3,500
Sherburne-Earlville GLOWFORGE
A Glowforge Pro laser printer/cutter/etcher, filter and materials will be added to Sherburne-Earlville’s Makerspace where it will benefit students K-12. Elementary students can create personalizing gifts, gears, devices and working models. MS/HS students can create items for team fundraisers, art portfolios, set design pieces, FIRST Robotics, marketing class, and windmills and bridges for the SUNY Poly STEM Outreach Competition.

Liverpool Middle School, PI: Kellie Bouthillier – $5,000
Virtual Reality for STEM Education
This project uses virtual reality in the classroom to guide students into a deeper understanding of STEM concepts. Through this immersive technology students will be able to better explore topics that are conceptually difficult to navigate, such as the desert, rain forests, or the ocean.

Van Buren Elementary School, PI: Sarah Parrish – $1,540
Van Buren STEM Club
Under this project students will collaboratively explore, investigate and discover subjects such as science, math, technology, and engineering in an after-school learning environment. Students in the club extend their learning through a series of hands on experiments and challenges including working with Ozobots and Makey Makey kits, and other engineering and design manipulatives to explore coding, robotics, and the engineering design process.

Bolivar Road Elementary School, PI: Renee Burgess – $5,000
Sensory Friendly ChillSpa
Under this project students will have access to a peaceful multi-sensory environment. The room will help students to self-regulate their body and brain, which then carries over into the classroom learning environment.

East Hill Elementary School, PI: Danielle Tuttle – $3,600
East Hill Coding Club
This project will implement a coding group where boys and girls grades 2-5 can learn coding and computer skills before school, giving them an expanded view of future possibilities available in STEM.

Fayetteville Manlius High School, PI: Ben Gnacik– $3,481.85
Bringing The World To Our Students
This project allows students to be active in environments in order to cement learning standards using Next Generation Science Standards methods of beginning units with an experience or concept. Students will virtually visit ecosystems that textbooks and photos often struggle to make relevant.

Utica City School District, PI: Adam Lovecchio – $4,911.36
Robotics/Coding Lessons/Club
Under this project students will learn how to build and program robots using Vex Robots in class and after school in the Robotics Club. Students will gain valuable knowledge in programming and engineering as well as an understanding of the parts of a computer.

Sauquoit Valley Elementary School, PI: Mark Putnam – $2,018
STEAM Studio/Rube Goldberg Challenge
Under this project a STEAM studio will be created so that students will be able to collaborate, design, and build different objectives. The first challenge will be the 4th grade students building a Rube Goldberg machine to put money in a piggy bank.

Casey Park Elementary School, PI: Shannon DelloStritto – $1,354
All STEAM Ahead
This project will provide a STEAM learning environment that allows students to explore, design, and imagine using science inquiry and project based learning.

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Central School District, PI: Lee Meyers – $1,799.99
Sphero Supercharged Robotics
This project will introduce coding and foster creativity through discovery among K-6 grade students. Students will experiment with momentum as they learn about motion and forces as they use the robots to test the structural integrity of a bridge they create.

McConnellsville Elementary School, PI: Shelly DeLosh – $1,650
All Aboard The Coding Express
Students will learn to code with the Lego Coding Express. Through hands-on engaging play, students learn important concepts such as sequencing, looping, and conditions while developing problem-solving skills, critical thinking and collaboration.

Clinton Middle School, PI: Sarah Gaetano – $1,959.16
Creative Freedom Friday
Under this project students will have “Genius Hour,” a service project which allows students to work actively in the identification of problems within their community and aiming to solve them in a creative fashion. Through the projects, students will become life-long advocates and functional members of their community.

Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School, PI: Doug Borzynski – $4,991
Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School STEM Lab
Under this project Buffalo Academy of Science will use its state-of-the-art mobile STEM learning lab to excite and engage buffalo youth in job-ready STEM careers upon high school graduation. The mobile STEM learning lab will expose youth who are typically underrepresented in STEM to in-demand jobs, help them become job ready in today’s global economy, and contribute to the expansion of a skilled STEM workforce, both in Western New York and elsewhere.

Utica Academy of Science Charter School, PI: Genevieve Campanella – $1,895
Student Success Through Literacy and STEAM
The goal of this grant project is to promote lifelong learning by equipping classrooms with hands-on learning tools and enhancing engagement with parents and community members through interdisciplinary STEAM activities and events.

Syracuse Academy of Science High School, PI: Alexandra Carlson – $3,238
SAS Band Instruments
This grant supports the expansion of the band program, adding a bass clarinet and tenor saxophone which are integral part of a high school band and essential to providing students college-ready high school band experience.

Syracuse Academy of Science Middle School, PI: Jillian Knapp – $1,350
Middle School Science and Academic Fair
Under this project students will take part in science and academic fairs which will excite students about science and academics while also teaching them how to run controlled experiments and about the scientific method.

Syracuse Academy of Science and Citizenship, PI: Hayley Ireland – $4,245.69
Citizenship Makerspace/Junior STEM
The enrichment program closes the gap in STEM learning for low-income, ENL and minority students by providing an engaging environment that exposes students to STEM at a young age and facilitates collaboration and engagement through creativity.

North Side Learning Center, PI: Hussein Yerow – $5,000
Making Futures Bright: Exploring New Places
The North Side Learning Center will utilize these funds in conjunction with additional funding to purchase a 15-passenger van to bring students to the communities’ many resources such as museums, the zoo, parks and lakes, and colleges.

Paul V. Moore High School, PI: Fred Kowanes – $1,330.41
Trout in the Classroom
Under this project students will establish a system to raise trout eggs in the classroom for later release into the local environment. They will design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

Bolivar Road Elementary School, PI: Melissa Biviano – $ 4,777.00
Math for all Learners
Students with special needs currently make up 18.6% of the school’s population; these students have limited standards-based math resources available to help incorporate their multi-sensory needs. This project will utilize TouchMath to allow students to explore mathematical content through the use of multiple manipulatives and visuals, ultimately leading to students having the opportunity to reach their maximum potential.

Syracuse Latin School, PI: Krista Hunter – $5,000.00
Makerspace at Syracuse Latin
The purpose of this project is to create a Makerspace, a collaborative workspace where students can create, design, experiment, and develop ideas. This workspace will provide students a place where they can use their knowledge to invent ways to solve real world or imaginary problems, experiment with coding, robotics, or use no-tech tools to bring their ideas to life.

Syracuse Academy of Science, PI: Dr. Ugur Kocak – $4,500.00
Robotics Program
Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School, through its robotics program, offers students opportunities to learn the necessary skills and knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to empower them and prepare them for college, career, and citizenship.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, PI: Kimberly VanDuren – $3,266.60
Full STEAM Ahead at MLK
The purpose of this project is to deepen computational thinking practices for students in grades 5-6 through inquiry and project-based learning.

Watson Williams School, PI: DeAnne Dow – $5,000.00
Agriculture in and Out of the Classroom
Under this project, Special Education Students will grow fruits, vegetables, trees, and herbs for their cooking lessons for a hands-on learning environment where a broad range of abilities can work together and learn science, math, art, and literature while also learning important skills such as working in a group and project planning.

Utica Academy of Science, PI: Mustafa Kovar – $4,955.15
UASCS Atoms Robotics Program
This project will implement the robotics programs FLL and FTC with curriculum that integrates technology and engineering concepts into a grade appropriate STEM program to help inspire and prepare a new generation of engineering and computer science professionals.

Frederick Leighton Elementary, PI: James Hartmann – $4,037.65
Science Inquiry and Application at the Elementary Level
This project is designed to deepen problem solving skills for students in Kindergarten through Sixth Grade through science labs, science experiments, and extra-curricular science explorations.

Gate-Chili High School, PI: Jared Starbird – $4,894.00
STEM Project PRIDE
This project is will use a laser engraver and logo design software to teach trades to English Language Learners and/or poverty-stricken students while also strengthening the student’s excitement and pride in the work they are creating. The ultimate objective of this project is to improve the graduation rate of ELL and poverty-stricken students.

Belfast Central School, PI: Joshua Hazelton – $5,000.00
Ready for Robotics
Within this project, Belfast Central will create STEM programming for students in grades 3-12 by expanding curriculum and extra-curricular activities for students using robotic technology to give them the opportunity to learn by doing!

Westminster Economic Development Initiative, Inc. (WEDI), PI: Benjamin Bissell – $5,000.00
WEDI English-Language Learner After School Capacity Building
The Project seeks to expand long-term capacity of the ENERGY and FLY afterschool programs through classroom technology and equipment to empower English-language learners to acquire comprehension and fluency to attain parity with native English-speaking peers.

CiTi BOCES, PI: William Jones – $4,963.91
Summer STEAM Enrichment Programs
The purpose of this project is to expand opportunities for ‘learning by doing’ in the field of robotics for students in grades 3-12 by lowering program costs to our districts so that they can further support learning outside of the K-12 school calendar as part of the Summer STEAM Enrichment Programs. CiTi BOCES will add new youth STEAM enrichment courses to existing summer offerings to provide Oswego County students new engaging STEAM and career related activities.

Suffolk County Marine Environment Learning Center at Cornell University, PI: Tracy Marcus – $2,872
SCMELC TouchTank Room & Classroom Experience Upgrade
The goal of this project is to reach as many Suffolk County residents as possible so that we may foster environmental stewardship in the youth of Long Island. Equipment will be purchased to upgrade the freshwater and saltwater aquarium tank room which houses all of their live program animals and to create a local shark tank for chained dogfish.

Frederick Leighton Elementary School, PI: James Hartman – $5,000
STEM Centers at the Intermediate Level
This project is designed to deepen problem solving skills for students in grades 4 through 6 through project based learning through conducting student selected projects and heterogeneous grouping in a variety of domains for thirty minutes each day.

Binghamton University, PI: Shannon Hilliker - $15,000
English Language Development Instruction in Elementary Grades
The project follows a design experiment methodology in order to take into account the complexity of the classroom, afford collaboration, and accommodate interpretations and adaptations of an instructional practice (Bradley & Reinking, 2010)

University at Buffalo, PI: Dr. Janina Brutt-Griffler – $14,773
Best Practices in the Dual Language Curricula: Young English Language Learners in Urban Schools
This study is an extension of the research project that began in fall 2015 and fas focused on identifying some of the best practices and variables that impact how schools address the academic achievement gap among English language learners on an urban school.

Terra Science will provide a grant support in the amount of $20,000 per academic year, on need basis, to SANY Charter Schools for the following recruitment costs; newspaper and radio advertisements, participation in job fairs, advertisements or postings on websites specific to employee recruitment, government agencies filing fees, and related expenses.

Syracuse Latin School, PI: Kelly Manard – $4,398.96
Robotics Program
The Syracuse Latin school is working to expose students at an early age to the engineering and design process through its robotics program. To encourage students to continue into a STEM related career in the future, students will examine the various careers associated with the design, construction, and programming of robots in the 21st century and beyond. The Syracuse Latin School is part of the Syracuse City School District.

SUNY Oswego Extended Learning, PI: Tammy Anderson- $4,938.40
Engaging Creative Minds – Robotics Courses
The purpose of this project is to add youth robotics courses to a set of fun and creative academic offerings that were piloted in the summer of 2015. Engaging Creative Minds offers a model for engaging students (grades 2-16) in voluntary, creative, project-based learning experiences.

Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School, PI: Omer Zengin – $3,500
Robotics Team Atoms
Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School, through its robotics program, offers students opportunities to learn the necessary skills and knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to empower them and prepare them for college, career, and citizenship.

Syracuse University, PI: Zaline Roy-Campbell – $6,108
The Use of Translanguaging with Adolescent English Language Learners in a Sheltered Science Classroom
This research will examine the use of translanguaging (students’ use of their home language to assist them in learning academic content in English) in a Syracuse high school sheltered science classroom. It will investigate how a teacher of English language learners (ELLs), who is co-teaching with a science teacher in a Living Environment class, facilitates translanguaging in the classroom.

University at Buffalo, PI: Dr. Janina Brutt-Griffler – $8,974
Best Practices in the Dual Language Curriculum among bilingual and ELLs in Grade 6
The purpose of this research is to uncover effective teaching methodologies around bilingual ELA/NLA instruction in 6th grade which can be empirically linked to student learning outcomes. Researchers will examine an innovative, teacher implemented 50/50 program at Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, and urban school with one of the largest Hispanic ELL population in Buffalo, NY.

Cornell University, PI: Lora Hine – $15,000
The “E” in STEM: Making Engineering Evident in Elementary Schools
The Making Engineering Evident Program will provide a team of urban elementary educators with high quality professional growth and development experiences along with access to the resources and materials necessary to teach engineering design. Teachers will be provided with the opportunity to enhance content knowledge and skills necessary to successfully integrate science and engineering practices into their classrooms.

The project director, Lora Hine, manager of Xraise, is the education and public outreach program at the Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-based Sciences and Education (CLASSE), a NSF-funded research facility at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Xraise will be working in collaboration with Dr. Susan Eschbach, principal of the Beverly J. Martin (BJM) Elementary School, and the second/third grade teacher teams at BJM Elementary School. Beverly J. Martin is located in Ithaca, NY and is part of the Ithaca City School District.

Terra Science Fair Grant
($1,000 – Due October 1st of the year)

Goal:
Terra provides $1,000 grants geared towards improving or starting a local school-based science and engineering fair to promote STEM education in schools.

Award Details:
School science fairs grants must be used towards organizing a local science and engineering fairs for students in grades 7-12. Selected students are eligible for advancement to the Terra Fairs serving their counties.

Eligible Applicants:
Applicants must be part of a school or educational organization located in one of the following counties in New York State:

Akwesasne, Chemung, Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Wayne, Yates

Note: Terra Fairs Fellows are not eligible for School Fairs Grants.

Apply:
Applications are due October 1st of the year. Download and fill out the application form and email it to [email protected].

As a friend of SANY Schools, Terra provides special grant programs for SANY Schools and students. Terra leases below the market rate (usually $5-8/sqf) school buildings to SANY Schools and provides additional supports as detailed below to support its mission.

Summer SAT Camp Grant:
Annually, Terra provides $5,000 to Science Academies of New York Schools (SANY) to organize a free summer SAT camp for its students. SANY students are highly diverse: 75% or higher are free-reduced lunch eligible. Around 58% are African American, 29% White, 9% Asian (mostly New American), and 4% Hispanic. SANY will organize the summer camp and announce it to its students.

High Quality Teacher Recruitment Grant:
Annually, Terra provides $20,000 to Science Academies of New York Schools (SANY) to recruit highly qualified teachers, especially STEM teacher. There is a significant need of high-quality STEM teachers in US, especially in the CNY region.

Special SANY Grants:
Terra provides short term grants to SANY Schools as a need arises. Such grant included, breakfast support for Utica Academy Elementary School, College Visit support for Utica Academy High School, after-school activity support for Utica Academy Middle and High School, school fair award support for Syracuse Academy Middle Schools, and performance based salary award support (for three years) for Utica Academy Schools.

Total SANY Grants and Scholarships:
  • 2019 Terra Scholarships and Grants given to SANY Schools: $84,983.69 (Grants: $49,483.69; Scholarships: $35,500)
  • 2018 Terra Scholarships and Grant given to SANY Schools: $84,365.88 (Grants: $55,690.88; Scholarships: $28,675)
  • 2017 Terra Scholarships and Grant given to SANY Schools: $53,597.76 (Grants: $31,572.76; Scholarships: $22,025)

Capital Improvements at SANY Schools:
Terra, even though rents its building below the market rate, continues to improve its school buildings to reduce the operational cost of the buildings for the schools and to create a better educational environment for the students without increasing its rental rate. Here are the few recent capital improvements:
  • 2020: ~ $800K for New SASCitizenship HVAC system, New SASCitizenship Gym windows, new SASHS storage roof, and new insulated SAS-High School Gym roof, and free land for UAS-ES/MS future site.
  • 2019: ~ $400K for New insulated SASCitizenship roof, etc.
  • 2018: ~ 700K for SASCitizenship Flooring, new SAS-Middle School HVAC system, new SAS-High School water pipe, etc.
  • 2017: ~ 750K for renovations at SASCitizenship school.