Mazda Supports STEAM Education in Underserved Schools
Access to a well-rounded education can help students broaden their horizons, but many kids in underfunded school districts aren’t given those opportunities. That’s why The Mazda Foundation awarded a $150,000 grant to FUSE Studios, a nationwide program that introduces kids to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math learning programs.
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Accessible STEAM Education
FUSE Studios, a program developed at Northwestern University, helps give kids a head start in growing fields like science, technology, and engineering. Jeff Guyton, who serves as the president of Mazda North American Operations and the chairman of the Mazda Foundation, recognizes the critical role that STEAM education plays for young children.
“We are thrilled to play a role in giving young people access to experiences that might inspire them to become the next generation of engineers, scientists, and designers,” he stated in a press release.
FUSE Studios is unique because it goes beyond teaching the subjects named in the STEAM acronym. The program also emphasizes “soft skills” like collaboration, supportive behavior, critical thinking, and persistence.
“The FUSE team has always put the student experience at the center of our work,” stated Professor Reed Stevens, FUSE Founder and Principal Investigator. “We are thrilled by Mazda Foundation’s generous support as we launch 10 new FUSE Studios in Southern California. We look forward to developing sustaining partnerships with each of our grant recipients, and we are excited that students will receive access to a diverse suite of challenges designed to ignite creativity, collaboration, and discovery through activities not found in a typical classroom setting.”
Thanks to the Mazda grant, 10 lucky elementary schools in the L.A. Unified School District and Orange County areas will open their own FUSE studios in the fall of 2021. Mazda is even helping put a unique spin on the program by working with the FUSE team to create activities for students to complete.
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The $150,000 grant given to FUSE Studios is just one of several Mazda Foundation awardees in the 2021 funding cycle. Other recipients include the Food Bank of North Alabama in Huntsville, the AVID Center college readiness program in Madison Country, Alabama, and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County in Irvine, California.
Kimiko Kidd is a native Daytonian. She graduated from Wright State University with degrees in environmental science and sociology. She loves her trusty old Honda Civic, but dreams of owning a 1974 Ford Falcon XB with a custom paint job and a vintage Kawasaki Z1000. In her free time, Kimiko can be found watercolor-painting, baking muffins, collecting rocks, playing old-school Nintendo games, writing her novel, sewing stuffed animals, and cosplaying as her favorite Mad Max characters. See more articles by Kimiko.