2026-27 Seed Grant Awards

Hazel Green High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Teresa Hodge
Self Driving Car Project
DIY self driving cars for the future will be a project where High school student work in teams to assemble and program Donkey Car DIY self driving car kits and then program them using Raspberry PI's. These cars will be taken to the middle school to try to encourage students to take STEM classes in high school. This hands on STEM activity is an exciting way to introduce students to future technologies.

Whitesburg Christian Academy (Madison County, Alabama)
Dr. Amanda Buck
Programmable Drone Program
The Programmable Drone Program will stimulate interest in STEM careers by providing early, repeated exposure to an exciting technology: programmable drones. This project will be implemented at the high school and middle school levels, providing increasing levels of intellectual challenge. The high school Python and engineering class projects will produce extensive hands-on experiences via challenges and design problems in STEM-enthusiastic students. The middle school project will use drones to collect real-time data to pique their interest in STEM. Elementary students will enjoy a drone show.

Providence Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Ashley Smith
Robotics Club
With this grant, I would love to expand our robotics materials. We would use the funds specifically to purchase more hubs and motors. I would love to have two teams instead of one. If I did this, I would have a team of younger students, third possibly second graders, that would be mentored by the older kids (fourth and fifth) that I have now on the team. With taking over the Robotics club last year, I have learned a lot and have seen how the club would benefit younger students. I have used the Lego Education site that offer differentiation as well as a break down of different grade levels.

New Century Technology High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Christine King
Genetics and Embryology
High school students will lead a cross-grade experiential program that raises ducks from egg to fledging in outdoor classroom spaces using incubators and brooders. Student researchers will investigate gene regulation, embryology, and neural tube development, synthesize their findings, and deliver age-appropriate lessons and demonstrations to visiting younger learners (4th and 7th grades). The program combines authentic laboratory practices, field-based husbandry, data collection, and peer teaching to build scientific literacy, communication skills, and stewardship.

Huntsville City Schools - Gifted and Talented Department (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Danielle Paseur
From Page to Prototype: Seeding Young Engineers Through 3D Design and Innovation
The From Page to Prototype program seeds enthusiasm for STEM by introducing K"5 students to engineering design and 3D printing. Students design and print characters and objects inspired by books, science investigations, math concepts, and their own ideas. Printers will be housed in the schools STEAM/Curriculum Lab for classroom integration across grade levels and will also support student innovation clubs. As part of the schools Mustang Makers Innovation Hub, student creations will be showcased through STEM displays and an annual Montview Mustang STEAM Innovation Showcase.

Montview Elementary School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Rachel Evans
Hands-On STEM: Sequencing, Coding, and Collaboration
Hands-On STEM: Sequencing, Coding, and Collaboration engages students in experiential STEM learning using Sphero Indi robots. Through coding challenges, color-tile activities, and collaborative problem-solving, students develop sequencing, directionality, pattern recognition, and early computational thinking skills. Lessons progress from unplugged programming to simplified block-based coding, fostering creativity, teamwork, critical thinking, and confidence in a hands-on, student-centered learning environment which will spark students' interest in STEM and prepare them for future STEM careers.

Moores Mill Intermediate School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Amanda Salazar
Coding the Future: Robotics with Ozobots
Coding the Future: Robotics with Ozobots engages students in creative problem-solving, computational thinking, and hands-on exploration through robotics and coding challenges. Students design pathways, experiment with programming concepts, and collaborate to solve increasingly complex tasks. The program fosters innovation, perseverance, and critical thinking while connecting coding, engineering, and creativity in an engaging, student-centered learning environment that encourages curiosity and advanced exploration.

Roger B. Chaffee Elementary (Madison County, Alabama)
Ms. Emma Haynes
Robotics
The STEDTRAIN Robotics Program meets weekly with 3rd"5th grade students using the First LEGO League Challenge. Students design, build, and program LEGO robots while exploring real-world themes. Through teamwork, research, and problem-solving, participants strengthen STEM skills, creativity, communication, and confidence in a collaborative, hands-on learning environment.

Johnson Elementary School (Limestone County, Alabama)
Mrs. Erika Jones
Cardboard Creation Lab
The Cardboard Creation lab will give my STEAM students hands-on learning opportunities while using safe cardboard cutting tools and construction kits. Students will design, build, test, and improve cardboard prototypes through engineering challenges that align with Blooms Taxonomy and STEM principles. Students will move from understanding concepts to creating original designs. These activities will increase student engagement while also allowing students to practice real-world engineering, creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Limestone County Career Technical Center (Limestone County, Alabama)
Ms. Monica Hobson
27-26 Team 34 Robotics
Team 34 participates in the FIRST FRC competition. It is a program that teaches students the principles of engineering and how to work as a team. In a short amount of time, students must work together and design and program a functioning robot to compete in that year's game. It is designed to promote interest in careers in the STEM fields. The competitions are opportunities to work with teams all over the country to achieve their goals. They will showcase and demonstrate at these competitions. This program is designed to give students real-world experience applicable to the STEM industry.

Madison County Career Technical Center (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Burnie Stedham
Forensics Farm for Applied STEM for Law Enforcement Pathways
This project establishes a Forensics Farm at the Madison County Career Tech Center to provide hands-on forensic science training for high school students pursuing law enforcement careers. Using donated animal materials in controlled above- and below-ground environments, students will study decomposition, entomology, and environmental data analysis while collaborating with local law enforcement and regional schools to build authentic STEM and career-ready skills.

Sparkman High School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mr. Joshua Gentry
Technology Student Association(TSA), Robotics Club/Class
The VEX Robotics 2026-2027 Competition project will provide Technology Student Association and Robotics Club students with structured, hands-on experiences in robotics design, construction, and competition. Students will apply the Engineering Design Process while developing skills in teamwork, creativity, and problem solving through activities conducted during class time and club meetings from fall 2026 through April 2027.

Central School (Madison County, Alabama)
Mrs. Morgen Perez
Rolling With Robotics
"Rolling with Robotics" introduces students to basic coding through hands-on robotics using small rolling robots. Students create and test simple programs to control movement and actions while completing structured challenges. The program builds foundational skills in computational thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration through interactive, real-world application of code.

Lincoln County High School (Lincoln County, Tennessee)
Ms. Mary E LeBlanc (Marty)
Lincoln County Schools Robotics Program
Students in grades 7-12 will design, build, and program robots to compete in the exciting and fast-paced FIRST Tech Challenge. Using a reusable kit of parts and guided by engineering principles, teams will work collaboratively to solve real-world-inspired challenges. Along the way, students develop skills in coding, electronics, public speaking, and teamwork, building confidence, creativity, and critical thinking for the future. Last year we piloted our first FTC team and this year we will be adding another FTC Team to our program!

Seed Grants for Previous Years

The following documents provide abstracts for the Seed Grant proposals that have been funded over the past several years.

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