HCC Upward Bound receives $40k grant

The Hopkinsville Community College Upward Bound program has received a $40,000 supplemental grant to enhance STEM activities.

According to a news release, the grant is part of the Federal TRIO Programs, are federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. This award was the maximum amount of funds allotted to programs that submitted applications with the hope to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics initiatives.

The STEM curriculum afforded by the grant will include field trips to places such as Toyota of Kentucky and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Other activities include building and programming a weather station, and a hands-on NASA Balloon Satellite Workshop.

Upward Bound Coordinator Joe Leavell says, “Not only are we able to take students to other places outside of Hopkinsville, but we will also have HCC faculty hosting workshops and sharing their expertise in these high-demand areas. These grant funds, combined with these professional resources, will provide new and extra opportunities for our students.”