HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES AWARDS MORE THAN $99,000 IN STEM GRANTS TO 31 GULF COAST SCHOOLS

PASCAGOULA, Miss., Jan. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has awarded $99,783 in grants to 31 STEM-related projects and initiatives from schools and educational organizations in Mississippi and Alabama.

This is the 11^th year for the program. Ingalls has awarded more than $1 million for science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects during that period.

“Ingalls welcomes the opportunity to supply teachers and students of the Gulf Coast with tools they need to thrive in our ever evolving world,” said Edmond Hughes, Ingalls’ vice president of human resources and administration. “STEM fields have a critical importance not only to our workforce, but to our everyday lives. Every year I’m excited to see what innovative and challenging projects the students create. As STEM-related fields continue to become more critical in the workplace, it is comforting to know the commitment we make to our students today will contribute to the success of our workforce tomorrow.”

The 2019 Ingalls Shipbuilding STEM grant recipients and projects are:

- Alabama School of Math and Science: Students will learn the basics of a laser interferometer. Students will also learn holographic principles while creating their own holograms. $4,628
- Alabama School of Math and Science: Students in cybersecurity classes will learn essential techniques to protect systems and network infrastructures, analyze and monitor potential threats and attacks, and devise security solutions for organizations large and small. $4,000

Edmond Hughes (front row, far left), Ingalls’ vice president of human resources and administration, presented more than $99,000 in grants to 31 STEM projects being facilitated by educators in Alabama and Mississippi this year. Ingalls’ STEM grant program is in its 11th year and has awarded over $1,000,000 in educational funding. Photo by Derek Fountain/HII

- Alabama School of Math and Science: Students will be provided both physical and digital tools to aid their learning of geometric constructions and also provided a game-based learning opportunity for calculus students. $3,983
- Bayou View Middle School: Funds will be used to purchase zSpace technology, a virtual reality platform. $4,934
- Bay-Waveland Middle School: Using the curriculum for cyber foundations, students will explore innovations in computing. They will be able to troubleshoot external devices and use code to power up and down an LED using micro-controllers. $3,300
- East Central High School: The project is an interactive, hands-on exhibit that uses 3-D imaging equipment to turn the surface of a simple sandbox into a color-coded topographic map. $4,110
- East Central Middle School: Funds will be used to purchase 3-D printers, engravers, scanners and laser-cutters so students can have access to the right resources. $2,400
- Erwin Craighead Elementary: Funds will be used to establish a mini STEM academy consisting of a series of STEM stations in various locations throughout the school. Each station will have materials specific for a grade level. $4,648
- FABLAB Jackson County: Students will participate in a series of camps where they will learn about the basics of electronics and programming using VEX robotics kits. $4,950
- Gautier High School: Students will build quadcopters that are capable of flying autonomous missions. The project will teach students about flight theory, forces of light, how to capture video and photography from a moving aircraft, how to edit their footage, and how to program flight controller software. $5,000
- George County Gifted Program: Students will learn about mass and speed, energy transfer, mechanical systems, prediction of patterns, and displacement using K’Nex education kits to build 13 different amusement park rides. $900
- Gulfport High School: Students in the STEM apprentice program will take on various projects to help build the infrastructure of a STEM haven. They will outfit donated shipping containers to provide CTE classes with a solar-powered remote classroom and secure equipment storage. $5,000
- Harrison Central High School: Students will do a virtual tour of a local power plant and research how the plant is looking to utilize renewable energy. Students will use various materials to create renewable energy. $4,931
- Jubilee BEST Robotics, Inc.: This is a volunteer-based program for middle and high schools that teaches skill sets for STEM careers. Students are provided raw materials and must design and manufacture a functioning robot as well as write an engineering notebook. $5,000
- Lynn Meadows Discovery Center: Funds will be used to purchase innovative tools and equipment that will be added to the existing preschool exhibit area. $4,271
- McGill-Toolen Catholic High School: Students will learn and model how proteins are made from the original DNA molecule then build models of a specific protein using 3-D pens and printers. $4,200
- Mississippi Council on Economic Education: Students will participate in the “Stock Market Game,” which extends basic math skills, reinforces math knowledge and improves students’ test-taking skills. $3,500
- Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center: Students will research, design, sketch and produce an underwater remote operated vehicle using computer-aided design software. $3,242
- North Bay Elementary: The project will be used to introduce new ideas or to clarify puzzling topics. The project will allow students to work in an active learning environment instead of a “chalk and talk” environment. $998
- North Bay Elementary: Students will construct models using Legos and will use them to solve area, perimeter and fraction problems. $504
- North Bay Elementary: Students will participate in 10 story challenges. Each challenge consists of three illustrated stories of varying difficulty. Each story gives a challenge for the students to create a project that involves STEM process skills. $390
- Oak Park Elementary: The project will provide slow-developing children with the opportunity to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly by growing caterpillars and watching the metamorphosis in the classroom. $359
- Ocean Springs Upper Elementary: Funds will be used to purchase STEAM-accessible materials like solar-powered reusable tin cars, hydro-powered energy projects and structural engineering projects will allow students to bring to life what they are learning in literature and writing classes. $482
- Pass Road Elementary: Funds will be used to establish an all-girls VEX IQ robotics teams. Girls will work through the engineering method to create robots for competition, programming autonomous robots, and finding solutions to real world problems from STEAM challenges and community presentations. $2,827
- Pecan Park Elementary: Funds will be used to purchase power tile circuits, magnetic building blocks and architecture sets that will promote problem-solving and team-building skills. $900
- Singing River Academy: Funds will be used to purchase Edison, a programmable robot designed to be a complete STEM teaching resource for coding and robotics education for students. $1,330
- St. Martin Gifted Center: Gifted students in grades three through six will teach STEM skills such as engineering, creative problem-solving, cooperative learning, mathematics and coding through robotics. $5,000
- St. Martin High School: Funds will be used to purchase new-generation robots and to continue team outreach by sharing robotics activities with younger future engineers and starting an elementary school VEX IQ team. $5,000
- Treehouse Montessori Christian School: The project’s primary goal is to create a STEM community space for students to learn the engineering design process and the art of tinkering. $5,000
- West Wortham Elementary and Middle School: Students will plan and build tin can robots that will be entered in the school’s robot race. During the construction of the robots, students will be able to make engineering adjustments in an effort to help their robot win the race. $2,900
- Woolmarket Elementary: Students will use models and dissection kits to compare and contrast the sheep brain and the human brain. $1,090

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Mission Driven Innovative Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 40,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: