HRS Provides Grants to Support STEM Training

Harris Corporation (HRS) today announced grants to fund programs that will further science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies – helping to foster the next generation of space innovators. The announcement was made at the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs.

Harris will fund the Space Foundation’s Space in the Community (SITC) program for the third consecutive year and add its first-ever grant to the Air Force Association’s StellarXplorers STEM program. The SITC program grants will support schools in Colorado and Florida – regions where Harris has significant operations. SITC is an immersive program for students, parents, teachers and community members designed to inform and inspire them about space and reinforce the importance of STEM.

“STEM education is vital to the future of our space program and our nation’s technology leadership,” said William M. Brown, chairman, president and CEO of Harris. “These grants enable students in Colorado, Florida and around the country to become future scientists who will challenge technical boundaries and expand our universe in ways we never thought possible.”

Harris’ Air Force Association grant will support the StellarXplorers National High School Space Challenge. A nationwide program, StellarXplorers invites teams of students to use space systems engineering principles to solve a problem remotely through four Space Challenge rounds. Winners receive an all-expense paid trip to the national finals, which are held annually at the Space Foundation Discovery Center.

“StellarXplorers is making great strides in introducing STEM disciplines and aerospace engineering to more students, including women and under-represented minorities,” said Dick Bundy, Vice Chairman of the Board for Aerospace Education, Air Force Association. “Students gain experience and confidence in problem solving, analytical skills, teamwork and leadership.”

Attendees of today’s event included former NASA astronaut Lt. Col. Duane "Digger" Carey, USAF (Ret.), who previously led “Audience with an Astronaut” presentations in Colorado Springs schools, and StellarXplorers Program Director Stephen K. Gourley, who encouraged Colorado Springs school leaders attending the event to foster teams in their high schools.

In the last 10 years, Harris Corporation has dedicated more than $22 million to support STEM education projects and initiatives at the elementary, middle, high school and university levels. Harris employees across the U.S. have volunteered thousands of hours supporting STEM education in local classrooms and hosted hundreds of students at Harris facilities. Harris Space and Intelligence Systems President Bill Gattle is a member of the Board of Directors of the Space Foundation and The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, which also received a Harris STEM grant this year.