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Major Grant Establishes New Program to Advance STEM Education

In July 2020, as part of its 90th anniversary celebration, Battelle announced a $1 million donation to The STEM Foundation to expand its STEM education outreach. Battelle manages and operates the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S Department of Energy. The money launched the Mid-Columbia STEM Nexus Initiative to develop experiential learning programs for underrepresented and underserved students in rural communities. 

The initiative relies on a multi-pronged, community-engaged approach to unlock curiosity and fuel interest in STEM subjects and career paths.  By leveraging evidence-based, hands-on approaches and creating personal interactions with STEM professionals, more and more students will aspire to be and become STEM professionals.

“Our nation faces a continuing challenge to interest our youth in science, technology, engineering and math careers that are critical to our future,” said Steven Ashby, Battelle Senior Vice President and PNNL Director. “For decades, Battelle and PNNL have provided financial support, community leadership and mentors for STEM education efforts that have had an enduring impact. This gift will continue this tradition by focusing on the development and expansion of transformative STEM education experiences in the region, especially for historically underrepresented and underserved populations.”

Battelle is one of the founding members of the Washington State STEM Education Foundation (The STEM Foundation).

Key Collaborators

The Mid-Columbia STEM Nexus Initiative partners with the myTRI2030 Education Council to identify and support local STEM education initiatives in the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas – especially within underserved and rural communities. The Education Council, comprised of 14 key community and STEM education leaders, provides support to Nexus initiatives to address and provide solutions for current education needs of the Mid-Columbia region. Click here for more information about myTRI2030. 

Project Highlights

In February 2021, the STEM Nexus Initiative team convened a joint community workshop with the myTRI2030 Education Council to identify STEM projects that address the Top 10 Education opportunity areas identified by the community as being significant to making progress within the Tri-Cities community and surrounding regions. To learn more about the organizations and projects chosen to advance equity in STEM education for our community, visit our STEM Nexus Projects at the top of this page.

Get Involved

The intention of the STEM Nexus as a collaborative, community-driven Initiative is to connect key efforts across a range of organizations to drive impact. You can donate to further accelerate the impact of the Mid-Columbia STEM Nexus Initiative.

For more information please contact us via email.

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