February 1, 2017
NORTHBROOK, Ill. and WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 1, 2017 — The third annual UL Innovative Education Award (ULIEA) recognition program is open to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States and Canada. Awards will go to participants who best use innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) curricula to help students of grades K-12 solve real-world environmental problems.
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 28, 2017 and organizers will publicly announce the winning applicants in August 2017.
UL, the 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 $500,000 to 10 non-profit organizations. The investment supports youth engagement in local environmental issues, community engagement and encourages interest in engineering, technology, science and mathematics. “Thousands of kids from different backgrounds are getting excited about solving environmental issues in their communities,” said Cara Gizzi, UL Director of Education and Outreach. “These award-winning programs are producing our future engineers, scientists, inventors, innovators and environmentalists, and we want to help ensure support for this world-changing work continues.
The 2016 grand prize winner, Sun Works Greenhouse Project, built hydroponic farming labs into public schools to help New York City students address urban food production challenges through engineering and problem solving.
“Hands-on, project-based learning hones problem solving and other 21st century skills,
said Christiane Maertens, NAAEE Deputy Director. “There’s a real opportunity to shape future generations here — we hope to double our application pool in 2017 and reach organizations doing the most impactful work.”
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 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.