Science Education Receives Boost with $500,000 in Funding From Toyota TAPESTRY Program
- Program to provide 50 educators with grants totaling $500,000 to improve science learning opportunities for students
- Since the program’s inception in 1990, nearly $10 million has been awarded to 1,197 educators nationwide
- Winning programs will begin project implementation in June 2011
TORRANCE, Calif. – June 13, 2011 – A group of 50 U.S. science educators has been selected to receive $500,000 in grants through the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers Program. Fully funded by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS), the program recognizes and provides support to educators who are making a difference by demonstrating excellence and creativity in science education. The winning programs will begin project implementation in June 2011.
The Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program has been enhancing science education for students for more than 20 years. At the onset of the program in 1991, it offered an additional boost to the efforts of teachers across the country. Today, in light of the current crisis facing the nation’s schools, the Toyota TAPESTRY program helps to ensure there are engaging science education programs available to get students excited about science.
Over the course of the program’s 21 year history, Toyota has provided nearly $10 million in grants and touched tens of thousands of students nationwide. As a result of the Toyota TAPESTRY program, numerous educators have gone on to win prestigious awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, the NSTA Distinguished Teaching Award and the Einstein Fellowship Award. Additionally, teachers have had the opportunity to expand their science-based projects beyond their classrooms, and impact their communities and even state legislatures. Frequently, this includes garnering substantial additional funding for the teacher’s program and school.
Program Overview
Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Toyota TAPESTRY Program serves as the nation’s largest science teacher grant program of its kind and awards funding for innovative science proposals submitted by educators in environmental science. Since the program’s inception in 1990, educators from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Mariana Islands have received Toyota TAPESTRY grants.
Judges, accomplished in various areas of science education, select projects that stand out in creativity, risk-taking and originality. Fifty teachers will receive grants of $10,000 each, totaling $500,000. This year’s projects range from creating bio-fuel in an effort to help school communities go green, to increasing food production on farms in urban environments.
Toyota TAPESTRY is open to elementary, middle and high school science teachers in the United States and its territories. Teachers may apply individually or in teams online.. For more information about Toyota TAPESTRY grants, visit www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry.
Quotes
“It’s extremely rewarding to support exceptional teachers who bring quality science education to our children. The Toyota TAPESTRY program was built on the vision of recognizing such teachers and supporting their efforts to improve science learning opportunities for children. Over the past 21 years, we’ve had the opportunity to turn that dream into reality.”
-– Michael Rouse, vice president of philanthropy, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc
“There is nothing more gratifying than honoring outstanding science educators who demonstrate excellence, creativity and vision in science teaching. We are extremely proud of the winners of the 2011 Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program and for their unwavering commitment to their students and profession.”
-– Dr. Francis Eberle, Executive Director for NSTA
2011 TAPESTRY Grant Recipients
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STATE
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CITY
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ALABAMA
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Kevin Dolbeare
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Mobile
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ARIZONA
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Emily Musta
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Flagstaff
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Margaret Wich
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Tucson
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CALIFORNIA
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Aulikki Flagan
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Alhambra
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Patricia Brown
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Auberry
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Brook Webb
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Bakersfield
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Jeff Strogen
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Etiwanda
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Chris Steigelman
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Newbury Park
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COLORADO
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Mark Browning
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Glenwood Springs
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CONNECTICUT
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Carmen Andrews
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Bridgeport
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David Edgeworth
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New Haven
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FLORIDA
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Donna Lewis
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Miami
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HAWAII
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Teresa Shimamoto
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Honolulu
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ILLINOIS
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Jason Crean
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Western Springs
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Allan Fluharty
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Chicago
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KENTUCKY
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Catherina Wiley
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Glasgow
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MASSACHUSETTS
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Louise Levy
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Belchertown
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Paul Niles
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Orleans
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Graeme Marcoux
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Salem
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Kate Fraser
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Watertown
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MICHIGAN
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June Teisan
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Harper Woods
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Jennifer Bierbusse
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Lapeer
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Robert Thompson
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Ossineke
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MINNESOTA
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Peter Wieczorek
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Coon Rapids
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NORTH CAROLINA
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Ruby Stephens
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Elizabethtown
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Melanie Shaver
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Marion
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Jordan Trull
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Raleigh
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NEW HAMPSHIRE
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David Auerbach
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Canaan
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Peter Faletra
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Lyme
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NEW JERSEY
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Loris Chen
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Wyckoff
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NEW MEXICO
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Dawn Winters
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Santa Fe
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NEW YORK
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Ruth Fried
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Holliswood
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Marissa Bellino
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New York
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Susan Sharp
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Phoenix
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Donna Bianco
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Staten Island
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Gregory Metzger
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Southampton
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PENNSYLVANIA
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Kevin Willis
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Carmichaels
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Peggy Greene
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Eagleville
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SOUTH DAKOTA
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Susan Wolf
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Flandreau
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TENNESEE
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Amanda Breece
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Gallatin
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TEXAS
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Julie Frey
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Aledo
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Dolores Garay
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Houston
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VIRGINIA
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Laurie Sullivan
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Arlington
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Isabelle Cohen
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McLean
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WASHINGTON
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Mario Godoy-Gonzalez
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Royal City
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Jobie Flint &
Danyell Laughlin
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Silverdale
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WEST VIRGINIA
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Carol Muniz
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Morgantown
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Julia Colaw
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Petersburg
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Carolyn Thomas
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Shenandoah Junction
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WISCONSIN
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D.J. Huddleston
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Weston
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