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$25K grant aims to help program get more Detroit girls involved in engineering, STEM programs

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Posted at 8:05 AM, Nov 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-08 08:05:34-05

(WXYZ) — The Engineering Society of Detroit has received a $25,000 grant from Urban Science to help get more Detroit girls involved in engineering and STEM careers.

The grant, which was announced on Monday, is to the society's Girls in Engineering Academy and comes on National Stem Day.

Urban Science said on top of the grant, they will make members of its Detroit team available for mentoring and job shadowing in the future.

Every year, the Engineering Society of Detroit picks 30 middle school girls to participate in a summer and academic-year program that focuses on math and science enrichment, shares engineering and computer science projects and much more focusing on STEM awareness.

“At Urban Science, our vision is a world in which innovation is powered by science and inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit to invent a better future,” Urban Science Chief Marketing Officer Randall Tallerico said in a release. “We know our ability to realize this vision begins and ends with continuing to give our next generation of leaders the knowledge, skills and support they need to thrive in STEM fields that are often harder to find – and navigate – for girls in metro Detroit."

The academy also works to develop and use programming to make STEM exciting and help them learn through a variety of ways.

“Urban Science’s expanded commitment comes at a time when the pandemic has stifled education – particularly STEM education – in many areas across metro Detroit,” said Robert Magee, executive director, ESD. “This is a significant learning divide ESD can’t close on its own, and support from the business community is critical in helping us position Girls in Engineering Academy students for long-term success. We’re grateful for Urban Science’s willingness to answer our call to service, and for its commitment to lifting up our city’s next generation of female engineers through more than $50,000 in funding to date.”