Congratulations to our Round 2 Microgrant Winners!

The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education (JI) is proud to announce Round 2 microgrant funding of eight STEAM-based projects that are a collaboration between USD faculty and students and San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) teachers and students at the E2E Incubator at Kearny High School. As a part of USD’s Envision 2024 Strategic Investment Fund, the JI is funding two rounds of microgrants for collaborative projects between USD students/faculty and SDUSD students/teachers that utilize the innovative E2E Incubator space.

• Technology: Developing Your Superpower, Shirley Miranda (Kearny High School) The project will provide a hands-on computer science and engineering experience for students. Students (grades TK-5) use design thinking to invent, engineer, and program a device using Makey Makey kits.

• Conservation Collaborative, Janel Ortiz and Maisy Feeley (USD) USD students enrolled in BIOL364 Conservation Biology in Fall 2019 will create three STEAM activities related to conservation for underrepresented students at the K-12 level that will take place at an area of conservation concern (TBD), an opportunity for place-based education, in collaboration with the San Diego Audubon Society. USD students will document their progress in developing activities and conducting the activity via photographs, activity assessments, and other mediums to share at an end-of-the-semester showcase to be held at the Jacobs Institute.

• Success in Adulthood 4.0, Candice Fee (SDUSD Youth Advocacy) This project will engage Kearny High School students in a half-day professional development experience based on their interests. Workshops will be offered in the following for categories that were identified by the students: (a) Finances and Overcoming Real-Life Challenges, (b) Arts and Entertainment (including media, fashion, culinary, and sports), (c) STEM Careers, (d) College Planning and Successful College Navigation, (e) Civics and Advocacy (including democracy, law enforcement, military, lawyers, and criminology).

• Building a STEM Foundation One Block at a Time, Laura Gingras (Marie Curie Elementary) This project will introduce STEM concepts and materials to our youngest population. Students will be exposed to different career paths, passions, and opportunities through five hands on learning centers. These centers will focus on exploring physics, engineering, and computer science. They would then be able to communicate and explain their experiences at a culminating showcase event for parents. The career component includes videos and or in person speakers from USD students faculty and professions in the field. Collaboration would take place at the E2E lab at Kearny High School.

• Marie Curie Elementary Family Science Nights, Rachel Duron (Marie Curie Elementary) We are planning two family science nights at Marie Curie Elementary School (TK-5th grade) for the 2019-2020 school year. Both science nights will fall under a master theme that will be chosen in order to select STEAM activities and demonstrations. The hands-on activities will include a wide range of scientific and technological concepts, will be engaging for elementary students, and scalable to suit a large crowd. For each science night, volunteers will present 15-18 activities or demonstrations, depending on their complexity.

• STEAM and Maker Lab, Shira Maltz + Amber Redmerski (Jonas Salk Elementary) We plan to build a designated Maker Lab/STREAM space for teachers to utilize with their classrooms.

• Kindergarten Interactive Playground Music Wall, Janelle Rusch (Silver Gate Elementary) We will create an interactive music wall along one section of fencing at the Kindergarten playground for students to experience during outdoor time. The musical instruments will be created from repurposed materials, such as: PVC pipe lengths to create a xylophone, old pots and pans for percussion, old metal spoons of various sizes for chimes.

• Ocean Pollution Solutions – Do you know where your plastic is?, Angela Hummel and Elizabeth Lonnecker (Hoover High School) + Hoover HS students This project will expand the knowledge of plastic pollution and build better sustainable habits for the students of Hoover High School. We have made a positive impact at our school and in the City Heights community by having a water refilling station installed in March and plan to buy 2-3 more water refilling stations to be installed at Hoover and conduct an evaluation on this project. We are helping to provide a more sustainable life for future generations.