Crystal Cove Conservancy receives STEM grant from Toshiba America Foundation
Newport Coast, CA (July 23rd, 2021) – Crystal Cove Conservancy is pleased to announce it has received a STEM grant from the Toshiba America Foundation (TAF). These funds will buy classroom kits for the Project Crystal Code program, allowing them to build and code the sensors they use to collect environmental data in the park.
During Project Crystal Code, middle school students consider the role that microbiomes, decomposition, and the carbon cycle play in restoration. Students construct a computer model of the ecosystem that they can use to simulate interactions, and then build and code their own environmental sensors, which they use to collect data when they visit Crystal Cove State Park.
Crystal Cove Conservancy Education Manager Kaitlin Magliano explained how this grant benefits her program. “By providing micro:bit computers for schools, we’re giving students the opportunity to help solve real environmental challenges while learning to code. When students design and build a soil moisture sensor in the classroom, and then use the sensors they designed on a field trip to Crystal Cove, they can see the importance of computer science skills in the real world.”
Toshiba America Foundation’s grants fund projects designed by individual classroom teachers. This “direct-to-teacher” approach brings immediate results. Teachers are able to change the way they teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects because the grant supports equipment for hands-on experiments and inquiry-based approaches to the curriculum. At TAF, we believe that STEM is a lot more fun than just reading a textbook. TAF grants provide teachers with the tools they need to be more effective educators. The grants make the classroom a more exciting place for both teachers and students.
About Crystal Cove Conservancy
Rooted in the notion that Crystal Cove State Park is an ideal outdoor classroom for cultivating young environmentalists, Crystal Cove Conservancy is dedicated to protecting this rare piece of California’s history through a unique social enterprise model working in partnership with California State Parks. Revenue generated by cottage stays and food service at Crystal Cove is channeled back into cottage maintenance, park improvements and education and conservation initiatives.
Through our subsidiaries, Crystal Cove Beach Cottages and Crystal Cove Management Company, The Conservancy re-invests in protecting and preserving the entirety of Crystal Cove State Park. This social enterprise model allows us to develop innovative educational programs that expose students and visitors to the benefits of science and environmental literacy while supporting the preservation of miles of precious California coastline, stewarding thousands of acres of native habitat, and spearheading efforts to restore and preserve the historic beach cottages.
For more information, visit www.crystalcove.org.
Media Contact: Kian Maleki, kian@crystalcove.org
About Toshiba America Foundation
Founded in 1990 with support from Toshiba Corporation and the Toshiba America Group Companies, Toshiba America Foundation (TAF) is a non-profit grant making organization dedicated to helping classroom teachers make STEM learning fun and successful for K to 12 students in U.S. schools. TAF grants support public and nonprofit private schools throughout the United States. For more information, please visit: www.toshiba.com/taf.