For the second year in a row, FFA students in Allen and Byng are the recipients of an FFA STEM Grant from Public Service Company of Oklahoma.
In just its second year, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) After-School Grants program is the result of a partnership between the Oklahoma FFA Foundation and PSO. Grants totaling $25,000 are being awarded to 13 Oklahoma FFA chapters in the PSO service area.
Chapters receiving the grants must be active in the 2019-2020 school year.
With their grant of $5,000, the Allen & Byng FFA chapters will purchase surveying transits and tripods, precision compasses, hand-held GPS units and other equipment used to survey land. The two chapters will share the equipment and through a combination of classroom instruction and field activities, will learn practical applications for land measurement tools in both rural and urban environments.
“In today’s world, STEM-related knowledge and skills are keys to success in any career path,” said Frank Phillips, PSO Manager for External Affairs – McAlester. “The grants are aimed at providing FFA students opportunities to learn and grow in these STEM fields, and then use those skills and knowledge to enhance their future and that of our state.”
The grant for Allen and Byng was announced and awarded during the FFA COLT (Chapter Officer Leadership Training) conference, held August 27 in McAlester.