Congresswoman Barbara Lee Announces $900K STEM Grant
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced Alameda-based Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science (IWITTS) will receive a $899,841grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase enrollment and retention of women in community college STEM courses.
“I am pleased that the Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science has been selected to receive this important and competitive funding,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “It is our obligation to ensure that young women are both encouraged and supported as they pursue studies and careers in STEM related fields so they are prepared to contribute and thrive in the economy of the future.”
This federal award will fund IWITTS’s online professional development about evidence-based practices in outreach, teaching skills and learning to increase enrollment and retention of women in community college STEM courses.
Since 1994, IWITTS has helped educators nationwide close the gender gap for women and girls in male-dominated careers such as technology, the trades and law enforcement. They also work with employers to assist them in integrating women successfully into their male-dominated workplace.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense. With an annual budget of $7.2 billion (FY 2014), the NSF are the funding source for approximately 24 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities.
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