Flint Hills Discovery Center receives STEM education grant from NASA

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - Flint Hills Discovery Center has been awarded a Community Anchor designation by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and funding to provide a series of aerospace-themed STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education programs to area youth.

On Mar. 16, Flint Hills Discovery Center said that NASA announced it as one of 17 institutions to become a Community Anchor, recognizing it as a local hub to bring NASA STEM and space science to students and families in traditionally underserved areas.

The Flint Hills Discovery Center project is titled “Flying Cleaner and Faster: Connecting Kansas Kids to the Future of Aviation” and will focus on reaching and inspiring underserved youth in the STEM fields to pursue future education and careers in aerospace. The grant award of $40,000 will directly support onsite programming at the Discovery Center over the coming year, including aerospace summer camps, field trips, and a special community event.

Flint Hills Discovery Center said the grant is part of NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) Community Anchor Awards. It is funded through NASA’s Next Generation STEM, which supports kindergarten to 12-grade students, caregivers, and formal and informal educators in engaging the Artemis Generation in the agency’s missions and discoveries.

“I am so excited to partner with NASA to bring these STEM learning opportunities to community youth,” said Sally Dreher, FHDC Curator of Education. “The Flint Hills Discovery Center is already a local destination for STEM education, but this new focus on aerospace and connecting with underserved youth will help a new diverse population access the next-generation Kansas aviation industry.”

The Discovery Center project includes a planned Aerospace Day at the Flint Hills Discovery Center on Saturday, Aug. 26, in partnership with Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus. This ties directly into the Mission Aerospace summer traveling exhibit, which will be displayed at the Flint Hills Discovery Center from May 20 through Sept. 10.

Additional details and a list of all funded projects can be found here.

For more information about the Flint Hills Discovery Center and the NASA Community Anchor award, contact Stephen Bridenstine, Flint Hills Discovery Center Assistant Director, at bridgenstine@cityofmhk.com or 785-587-2742.