PASCAGOULA, Miss., Jan. 24, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division has awarded more than $100,000 in grants to 28 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) projects and initiatives from schools and educational organizations in Mississippi and Alabama.

This is the ninth year for Ingalls’ STEM program. The company has awarded more than $810,000 for STEM-related projects during that period.

“STEM touches every aspect of our lives,” said Edmond Hughes, Ingalls’ vice president of human resources and administration. “Ingalls is proud to provide STEM grants to our local schools to help encourage student pursue these fields. When students in our community are exposed to STEM and teachers are provided proper resources, all parties have the opportunity to be successful. Ultimately, we may be investing in our next engineering leader.”

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file?fid=5887a3af2cfac250e967bc53.

The 2017 STEM grant recipients and projects are:

• Alabama School of Math and Science: Funds will be used to purchase TI-36X Pro scientific calculators for use in algebra, trigonometry and pre-calculus classes. $4,815.90
• Alabama School of Math and Science: Funds will be used to purchase a YSI Pro Plus, an instrument used by oceanographers that will allow students to monitor and measure multiple physical parameters of water. $4,063
• Bayou View Elementary: Funds will be used to purchase Wisconsin Fast Plant Kits and prepare an engineering challenge that engages students in a series of inquiries to learn that plants need light and water, while also learning about the nature of science and engineering. $696.65
• Bel-Aire Elementary: This project asks students to create, test and race solar-powered cars in the Bel-Aire Race to the Finish competition. $1,500
• Biloxi High School: This grant will allow for the purchase of digital sensor and computerized equipment for experiments in projectile and rotational motion. $4,980.93
• BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology): Students will participate in a STEM-based robotics competition and gain experience in the areas of engineering by designing, building and programming a robot. $5,000
• DeLisle Elementary School: Funds will be used to establish Maker-spaces for K-5 students in their classrooms. These are work areas where students can work with tools. $4,999.54
• D’Iberville High School: Funds will be used to purchase 20 Edison robots and update robotic virtual software. $1,738.26
• East Central High School: Funds will be used to purchase thermal imaging cameras that will let students recognize temperature changes and monitor progress as thermal energy is transferred to other areas of the object. $4,194
• East Central Middle School: Funds will be used to allow the robotics team to participate in the BEST Awards competition. $1,500
• East Central Upper Elementary: Funds will be used to purchase LEGO WeDo 2.0 science kits, which expose elementary and special needs students to constructing and programming robots. $4,579.71
• East Hancock Elementary School: Funds will be used to designate a Maker-space area in the classroom. These areas provide a hands-on place where students can invent, explore and design using a variety of tools and materials. $1,289.18
• Greene County High: This grant funds a six-week period where students complete three activities that focus on the practical uses of solar energy. $3,852.49
• Gulfport Central Middle School: Funds will be used to purchase miniature Ozobots. Students will learn to design their own codes and will program the robots to do specific tasks. $1,800
• Gulfport High School: Funds will allow students to design and construct a 200 sq. ft. tiny house that will serve as a mobile classroom upon completion. $5,000
• Hollinger’s Island Elementary: Funds will be used to purchase trade books, science manipulatives and technology to enhance students’ interest in STEM. $4,995.84
• Magnolia Middle School: The equipment obtained through this grant will turn a conventional laboratory into a virtual research center that will allow students to experience earth and space and life sciences while in the computer-generated world. $4,997.57
• Mary G. Montgomery High School: This grant allows students to learn entrepreneurial and technology skills by funding the establishment of a sublimation shop. Students will design products and use a sublimation heat press to bring their design to life for others to purchase. $4,922.33
• Ocean Springs Upper Elementary School: This project will allow students to build 3D robots using the most advanced technology from LEGO. $3,988.66
• Ocean Springs Upper Elementary School: This grant allows the purchase of miniature Ozobots. Students will learn coding and problem-solving techniques essential to future careers in STEM. $2,787.70
• Orange Grove Elementary: Students will partner with the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies to do research on bacteria and ecological factors that affect the Gulf Coast waters and mammals. $4,236.18
• Pascagoula High School: This grant allows students to conduct water testing and measure plant growth in watershed ecosystems. $5,000
• Pass Road Elementary: Kindergarten students will engage with interactive STEM assignments to explore, create and problem-solve. $955.95
• Pecan Park Elementary: This grant will purchase books in a wide range of reading levels about inventions and building. $1,414.14
• St. Martin High School: This grant will be used to help teach and refine students’ skills in the areas of design, fabrication, coding, teamwork and communication through the VEX Robotics curriculum. $5,000
• St. Martin High School: Funds will be used to purchase advanced LED monocular microscopes. $4,761.00
• St. Mary Catholic School: Students will build models of Mobile Bay and the other waterways that feed it to illustrate what it takes to keep our waters swimmable, fishable and drinkable. $5,000
• Thomas L. Reeves Elementary: Funds will be used to purchase the Dash and Dot robotics and programing curriculum. $5,000

Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear and Environmental, and Oil and Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs nearly 37,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:

• HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com
• HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries
• HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries

Contact:

Bill Glenn
William.Glenn@hii-co.com
228-327-1671