Grant will help fund STEM after-school program at museum

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Discovery Museum has received a $20,000 grant to help fund an after-school program focusing on science, technology, engineering and math for Bridgeport Public School students.

The grant comes from Sikorsky, the Stratford-based helicopter manufacturer.

The program, STEM Accelerators, serves students in grades 5-10, who meet weekly at the museum for 90-minute programs.

They explore topics such as coding, 3-D printing and design, astronomy, biology, physics, and chemistry.

Participants have dissected sharks, coded robots, built and launched rockets, and mapped the stars.

Sikorsky spokesman Woody Woodyard says the company, a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, shares the museum’s passion for expanding young minds and helping prepare them for Connecticut’s high-tech workforce.