The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Company provides funding for STEM in Torrington schools
TORRINGTON – Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said it will provide funding to Torrington Middle School for its science, technology, engineering and math programs, according to a statement.
State Rep. Michelle Cook, DTorrington, joined Jessica Frasco, director of advocacy and strategic alliances of PhRMA, to announce PhRMA’s new educational grant for Torrington Middle School for its STEM programs. Frasco and Cook also met with students to talk about furthering their STEM education and the many opportunities to apply those skills in the biopharmaceutical sector.
Torrington Middle School serves 1,020 students in grades 6-8. The science program offers a wide variety of curriculum including Nature of Science, Astronomy, Oceanography, Sound and Light and Genetics. In addition, Torrington Middle School continues to explore new academic opportunities to allow students access to advancements in STEM and Coding, according to the statement.
“I’m very proud that Torrington Middle School is a recipient of this PhRMA STEM Pipeline grant,” Cook said. “The faculty and students here are very interested in finding new ways to explore STEM and apply what they’ve learned. Last spring, some of the students used 3D printers to create a prosthetic paw for Stella, the school’s service dog who was born missing a paw. The students wanted to help and found a way through their STEM learning.”
“The biopharmaceutical industry is committed to supporting America’s future innovators. STEM programs that incorporate hands-on experiences allow students to gain valuable experience,” Frasco said. “The concepts they learn here will better prepare them for their future careers in STEM fields.”
”We’re very grateful for receiving this grant today from PhRMA,” said assistant principal Leanne Maguire in the statement. “We do our best to expand our students’
STEM experiences not just here but also beyond our own classroom. This past summer twenty of our students in the Experience STEM program spent a week at the high school learning more about chemistry, biology and robotics from some of the professors at Northwestern Connecticut Community College and their students. Grants like this PhRMA STEM Pipeline grant can help us create more programming and continue to capture students’ attention to the potential in the STEM fields.”