ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. â Sept. 18, 2013 â Twenty-three middle school teachers from across the Chicagoland area took advantage of the unique opportunity to participate in hands-on activities, listen to best-practice demonstrations and talk to industry experts during Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) recent Teachers and Engineers for Academic Achievement Internship Program (TEAACH).
"The best part about this program was that it was both interactive and informative," said Heidi Galassi, a sixth- and seventh-grade teacher at Edison Middle School in Wheaton, Ill. "The projects that we worked on as a team were adaptable to the classroom. In fact, I spoke with my principal right after the program and we're going to implement an after-school STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] club where our students will be working on projects and learning about the different types of engineers."
The TEAACH program was created to acquaint educators with various engineering disciplines in a high-tech environment and promote engineering as a challenging, multidimensional and exciting career choice. By introducing participants to demonstrations, experiments and classroom applications, it provides local teachers with a variety of tools to stimulate students' interest in STEM technologies and careers.
"The middle school years are a crucial time to get students interested in STEM-related topics," said John Buckley, vice president of Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics at Northrop Grumman's Land and Self Protection Systems Division. "Teachers are key influencers in the lives of their students, and through this program, our engineers can share their enthusiasm and provide teachers tools to promote and integrate science and math concepts in their classrooms."
During this year's program, teachers participated in hands-on activities ranging from building a device that could transport weights up an incline using balloons, plastic straws, clothespins and nylon fishing line to constructing a tower out of differently shaped pieces of pasta that is as tall as possible and would balance as many Ping-Pong balls as possible. The group also heard from various Northrop Grumman engineering experts on a variety of topics including a business overview covering the current state of engineering, a typical day and life of an engineer and how to encourage girls to embrace science and math. Participants also were given tours of some of the company's production and test areas.
For more information on Northrop Grumman's TEAACH program, please visit www.northropgrumman.com/CorporateResponsibility/Community/Pages/Teaach.aspx .
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
CONTACT: Kyle Bauer 224-625-6547 (office) 630-807-9424 (mobile) kyle.bauer@ngc.com