HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Awards $95,600 in STEM Grants
PASCAGOULA, Miss., Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII’s (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division awarded $95,600 in STEM grants today to 22 local schools and educational organizations, reinforcing the company’s commitment to fostering innovation and critical thinking among youth. The grants will support a variety of hands-on projects, classroom technology enhancements, and STEM-focused curriculums.
“STEM education isn’t just about learning formulas or theories — it’s about hands-on experiences that inspire the next generation of critical thinkers,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. “As an engineer by trade, I know firsthand how important it is to have opportunities that spark curiosity and encourage problem-solving at a young age. At Ingalls, we are proud to invest in programs that can help us build a strong foundation for future engineers, shipbuilders and industry leaders.”
The annual STEM grant program is part of Ingalls Shipbuilding’s broader community outreach and workforce development efforts. It also provides educators with the opportunity to apply for funding up to $5,000 for a specific project that falls under one of the STEM categories — science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
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“Ingalls is proud to support our local educators in their efforts to bring more STEM inspired lessons to their students,” said Lisa Bradley Ingalls Shipbuilding corporate stewardship & community relations manager. “These grants will make a lasting impact in classrooms across the Gulf Coast, giving students access to additional resources and experiences that will encourage career exploration in STEM fields.”
HII is committed to shaping the future of engineering, science and technology and makes investments in STEM education programs through partnerships with local elementary, middle and high schools, community colleges and technical schools, summer internships, and industry-leading apprentice schools at the company’s two shipyards.
The Ingalls STEM awards attracted over 90 applications this grant cycle from across the region. The next application cycle will open in August 2025 at the beginning of the 2025-2026 academic school year and end in October.
The following 22 organizations have been honored by Ingalls Shipbuilding with STEM grants for the 2024-2025 school year:
Bayou View Middle School (Miss.): Coding a Pathway for the Future – Students will learn how to effectively program a robot and how to identify and solve problems by collaborating with other students in the classroom and around the world.
Biloxi Junior High School (Miss): Beyond the Page – Coding and AR Storybooks – Students will develop skills in coding logic, multimedia integration and user interface design while fostering creativity, literacy and cultural awareness.
Daphne Middle School (Ala.): Virtual Voyagers: Exploring New Realities – Funds will be used to purchase VR headsets, which will allow students to engage in immersive, interactive learning.
East Central High School (Miss.): Springing into STEM – Students will be introduced to composite materials and be evaluated on how well they can safely use the materials and equipment to produce a testable, composite leaf spring.
Gautier Middle School (Miss.): Calculators for our Classrooms – Funds will be used to purchase Texas Instrument multi-view calculators for students to work on a “Tiny House Project” using many geometry skills to create a mini 3D home model.
Gulfport High School (Miss.): Drone Program – Funds will be used to start a drone program and teach the students the intricacies of drone control.
Lighthouse Academy for Dyslexia (Miss.): Empowering Minds: A Robotics Program for Students with Dyslexia – Students with dyslexia in grades 4th through 6th will be given an opportunity to enhance coding skills, problem-solving abilities and self-confidence through hand-on experiences.
Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center (Miss.): Metal Benches for Parks – Students will design and construct durable metal benches for local parks, while participating in the various stages of the construction and set-up.
Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center (Miss.): Digital Marketing and Website Development – Students will build technical skills in website design and apply data-driven marketing strategies to optimize online business performance.
Moss Point Career & Technical Education Center (Miss.): Watch Me Grow – Funds will be used to purchase VR headsets and provide students with the opportunity to enter a virtual learning environment.
North Bay Elementary (Miss.): Inspiring Innovation: A Makerspace for Future Creators – This project aims to establish a makerspace in the elementary library.
Ocean Springs Middle School (Miss.): Oh Snatoms! – This project will provide students with an engaging, hands-on way to visualize and understand atomic structure, molecular bonding and chemical reactions.
Ocean Springs Upper Elementary (Miss.): School Aquaponics System: Enhancing STEM Learning for Intellectually Gifted Students – Funding will help implement an aquaponics system at the school where students can explore real-world applications of STEM principles.
Pascagoula-Gautier Career & Technical Center (Miss.): Top Gear – Students will construct both simple drive train as well as more complicated assemblies by learning about torque, speed optimization, gears, design, construction, communication and problem solving.
Pascagoula High School (Miss.): PNN – Keeping You Informed – This project will upgrade equipment and expose the students to career fields in STEM through the student-run news station, Panther News Network.
Perkinston Elementary School (Miss.): 3D Printing, Coding and the Shark Tank – Students will use a 3D printer and software to build a prototype of a STEM-related product that they will design and create with their team.
Picayune Memorial High School Career and Technical Center (Miss.): 3D-Printed Ship Hull Innovations – This project engages students in an inquiry-based, hands-on learning experience focused on the principles of hydrodynamics, 3D printing and advanced manufacturing techniques.
St. Martin High School (Miss.): Packaging for Success – Engineering and art students will collaborate to create, design and build a small item of their choice using a 3D printer.
St. Patrick Catholic High School (Miss.): Sensor Implementation – Students will be learning to program and control robots with sensor applications.
Theodore High School (Ala.): Underwater Robotics Program/Robotics Team – Students will work with peers collaborating on foundational concepts like density, pressure and buoyancy to develop conclusions based on observations made during the design and testing process.
Walter Anderson Museum of Art (Miss.): Public Art Enterprise – Students will participate in Wide Horizons, a middle school STEM education and exploration program with partners in marine education and coastal resilience.
Woolmarket Elementary School (Miss.): Digital Design Destinations: Brighter Days with Our Renewable Ways – Funds will be used to purchase solar powered house kits and will foster hands-on learning, collaboration with peers and teamwork while boosting student engagement and academic performance in STEM.
About HII
HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.
As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:
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Contact:
Kimberly K. Aguillard
228-355-5663
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