The JetBlue Foundation Fuels STEM Education with Grants for Six Aviation Programs
01 April 2017 - 2:15AM
Business Wire
JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU) today announced the latest round of grants
provided by the JetBlue Foundation, an education-focused entity
which furthers the airline’s effort to place aviation top-of-mind
as a career choice for students. The JetBlue Foundation will help
fuel six aviation programs with $162,000 in grants for science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) based
initiatives.
The JetBlue Foundation seeks out programs focusing on
communities traditionally under-represented in STEM fields
including women, minority groups and veterans. Beyond just grants,
the JetBlue Foundation provides in-kind support, mentoring,
internships and more to make a difference for the next generation
of aviators, dispatchers, aircraft mechanics and pilots. Over the
past four years, the Foundation has built lasting relationships
with more than 26 aviation-focused programs and provided $512,000
in grants to help these programs take off.
“According to the FAA, less than seven percent of commercial
pilots and three percent of aircraft mechanics are women. For
people of color, these statistics are just as low,” said Joanna
Geraghty, president of The JetBlue Foundation. “We must fuel the
talent pipeline now with diversity and focused educational training
to ensure the future of our industry. Our goal is to provide access
early on to prepare students for jobs after high school or for
college.”
On March 31, the JetBlue Foundation hosted its fourth annual
grant presentation with a special event at the New York Hall of
Science, a hands-on, energetic educational museum where students
can indulge their curiosity and creativity. The museum explores how
technology and play affect learning. In addition to a tour of the
museum, aspiring aviators, administrators and students were treated
to a special behind-the-scenes tour of JetBlue’s home terminal – T5
at New York’s JFK Airport – where they were able to see the inner
works of an airline. The event also included opportunities for the
students to learn more about the various career opportunities
available at JetBlue.
This year’s JetBlue Foundation grant recipients
include:
- Vaughn College of Aeronautics and
Technology (Flushing, NY) – Vaughn College will use this grant
to purchase a flight simulator and develop programming. Their goal
is to expose 600 New York City area high schoolers and Vaughn
College students to flight learning and related careers. The funds
will also further enhance the college’s flight operations training
curriculum.
- Hiller Aviation Museum (San Carlos,
CA) – The museum will utilize these funds to develop the “Real
Time Weather and Air Traffic Control Exhibit,” a new interactive
exhibit in its Working World of Aviation gallery. The program will
provide STEM learning outside of the formal classroom and for San
Francisco area students from low-income backgrounds. The initiative
will focus on students in grades 4-8.
- Above The Clouds (Norwood, MA) –
Above the Clouds creates a spark for aviation among at-risk teens.
This grant will help fund the Cadet Flyers, Discovery Flyers and
Dream Flyers programs and maintenance for a Piper Warrior II
aircraft, allowing students ages 6-18 to take flight lessons with
Certified Flight Instructors.
The JetBlue Foundation is continuing JetBlue’s mission of
inspiring humanity and will also provide support and special
consultation to three developing programs to help them expand on
new aviation-focused initiatives.
- Worcester County Horticultural
Society (Worcester, MA) – The Worcester Tree Initiative will
use this funding to develop an environmental education program
focused on inner city youth. This program will consists of two
hands-on training components: field-based learning and computer lab
learning that uses a software application to incorporate the
results of light detection and range sensing to understand the
urban forest canopy.
- New York Hall of Science (NYSCI)
(Corona, NY) – NYSCI will use their grant to support the
Science Career Ladder initiative – a nationally recognized program
for engaging under-represented groups in STEM. The Science Career
Ladder recruits high school and college students as “Explainers” to
interact with NYSCI’s visitors, fostering conversations about
science exhibits and activities.
- Trident Technical College Foundation
(North Charleston, SC) – Trident will use these funds towards
the purchase of a Flight Deck Simulation Trainer. The simulator
will provide students with real-world, hands-on experience working
on a large airplane, preparing them for aeronautical
industry-standard work.
JetBlue supports STEM education through a variety of
initiatives. The airline hosts a unique education pathway from
relationships with elementary school students and mentoring high
school and college students to its University Gateway Program,
which leads to positions as Pilot Trainees with JetBlue.
The JetBlue Foundation, founded in 2013, is legally independent
from JetBlue and has a separate Board of Directors and an Advisory
Committee both made up of JetBlue crewmembers from across the
airline. To learn more about the JetBlue Foundation, visit
www.jetblue.com/InspiringHumanity.
ABOUT JETBLUE
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier
in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles
(Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than
35 million customers a year to 101 cities in the
U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average
of 1,000 daily flights. For more information please visit
jetblue.com.
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