January 9, 2018
NORTHBROOK, Ill. and WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jan. 09, 2018 — The fourth annual UL Innovative Education Award (ULIEA) recognition program is now open. Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States and Canada who use innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) curricula to help students of grades K-12 solve real-world environmental problems can apply to win up to $100,000 at ulinnovationeducation.naaee.net.
A panel of environmental, science, research and technical experts will determine one grand prize winner to receive $100,000; two second-tier winners to receive $50,000 each; and two third-tier winners to receive $25,000 each. The submission window closes on February 21, 2018 and organizers will publicly announce the winning applicants in August 2018.
UL, a global safety science leader, in collaboration with North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), founded the ULIEA recognition program in 2015 and have since awarded $750,000 to 15 non-profit organizations. The investment supports youth engagement in local environmental issues, community engagement and encourages youth interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“We are so honored to support the work of these innovative, mission-driven organizations that are inspiring and positively impacting thousands of kids collectively,” said Cara Gizzi, UL’s VP of Education and Outreach. “We want to ensure this important work continues to produce even more future engineers, scientists, inventors, innovators and environmentalists.”
The 2017 grand prize winner, Chicago Botanic Gardens’ Science Career Continuum program, won for engaging Chicago public middle and high schoolers in a summer science immersion program that paves the way to studying science in college. Participating students who go on to receive undergraduate degrees can apply for professional research initiative opportunities, for internships, or to attend Northwestern University’s graduate school.
“Hands-on, project-based learning, like that offered by our winners, improves problem solving and other 21st century skills,” said Christiane Maertens, NAAEE Deputy Director. “We recognize a great opportunity to positively impact future generations and the environment, and we hope to double our application pool in 2018 to reach organizations, small and large, doing the most innovative work for diverse communities across North America.”
For more information about the awards, eligibility requirements and past winners, visit http://ulinnovationeducation.naaee.net or visit us here to apply immediately.
About UL
UL fosters safe living and working conditions for people everywhere through the application of science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. The UL Mark engenders trust enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place. We test, inspect, audit, certify, validate, verify, advise and train and we support these efforts with software solutions for safety and sustainability. To learn more about us, visit http://www.ul.com/.
About NAAEE
The North American Association for Environmental Education is a pioneering membership organization dedicated to accelerating environmental literacy through education. NAAEE supports a network of more than 16,000 educators, researchers, and organizational members working in environmental education across more than 30 countries through direct membership and 54 regional affiliate organizations. NAAEE provides resources for educators, professionals, volunteers and researchers via sponsored community networks, publications and employment development opportunities. For more information, visit http://naaee.org.