Spring 2006
MESA has been selected by the California Space Authority (CSA) to provide critically needed professional development for K-12 math and science teachers as part of a multi- million dollar federal grant to spur growth in California's technology and manufacturing industries.
California MESA will receive $800,000 over three years ($270,000 annually) to train 180 teachers from schools that serve educationally disadvantaged students. Teachers will be trained to implement new hands-on curricula to prepare tomorrow's engineering workforce for high-growth and space-relevant topics, including robotics.
As part of the grant, MESA will work with other organizations to plan and execute a strategy for California science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and document its progress throughout the three-year lifetime of the grant.
"This project will be instrumental in restructuring workforce development and education to produce world-class 21st century technical workers," said Andrea Seastrand, Executive Director of CSA. "The space enterprise industry has played a historical role in California's economic development and we now have a unique collective opportunity to assist the industry in retaining and enhancing our global position in the marketplace."
The CSA wrote the grant for the 13-county "California Innovation Corridor," which was one of only 13 regions nationwide to receive one of the U.S. Department of Labor's Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grants. The WIRED grants are designed to encourage public and private entities to leverage their collective resources to drive economic development by increasing the technical workforce
The CSA received $15 million to increase entrepreneurial activity in a 13-county area stretching from the Bay Area to San Diego, the Inland Empire, and the Antelope Valley. MESA's work will help develop technical talent to support a continuum of math, science and engineering education extending from elementary school to university and beyond.
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