Dr. Claire McCullough, Associate Professor in Engineering and
Computer Science, and Mr. Tom Patty, Director of the Challenger Center, have
received a $99,806 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the
Bridges to Engineering Education (BEE) program. Dr. McCullough and Mr. Patty
received this grant in the first-ever BEE competition held by the NSF.

Their project, “Bridges to Engineering Science: Teaching Teachers”
(B.E.S.T.T.), will support a year-long planning effort with 13 local K-12
school systems to determine innovative ways to address state and national
curriculum standards with hands-on engineering exercises.  The long-range
goal is to increase the number of students entering the
engineering field by exposing students to exciting engineering activities
throughout their K-12 education. This planning effort will pave the way for a
full-scale project to develop and implement apparatus-based, age-appropriate
engineering science experiments within local Tennessee and Georgia schools.
Through the execution of B.E.S.T.T., the College of Engineering and the
Challenger Center have a chance to educate more than 115,000 K-12
students. The funding of this planning grant program echoes UTC’s commitment
to the improvement of the learning environment in local schools systems.

Please join in congratulating Dr. McCullough and Mr. Patty on this award
and in wishing them success with this program!



Diane Miller
Director
Office of Grants and Program Review/Dept 4905
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN  37403
TELEPHONE:  423-755-4431
FAX:  423-755-4052
EMAIL:  [log in to unmask]
WEBSITE:  http://www.utc.edu/Grants-and-Research/