A Donation for STEM NOLA

 Boeing has given a $1 million dollar donation to STEM NOLA’s new project the New Orleans East science education building. The $15 million project is headed by Calvin Mackie who is STEM NOLA’s founder and CEO.

STEM NOLA was founded in 2013 and has expanded since its beginning in Mackie’s, a former engineering professor at Tulane University, garage. Mackie began the program with $100,000 of his own money. Since then, there have been several who have made donations to help the project grow and run. In fact, the US Department of Defense has granted $2.79 million so that the group can reach students across the Gulf Shore that are military connected.

The group now reaches kids from all around the New Orleans metro area providing them with weekly science tutorials. The groups will meet virtually, at parks in the area or during and after school programming. So far, the program has helped 125,000 students since its conception.

“We have to get our kids tinkering, building stuff with their hands, critically thinking, asking why it worked, why it didn’t work….. that’s gonna give rise to the mindsets and skills that are needed in the 21st century,” Mackie said.

The new science building will be built on property that was given to the STEM (acronym for science, technology, engineering and math by Oschner Health. The building will house classroom space and tons of up-to-date technology. So far STEM NOLA has not set a date for the groundbreaking.

So far, along with the $1 million from Boeing, the STEM group has been given $1.25 million from WK Kellogg Foundation, $1 million in CARES Act omey and $2 million in state capital outlay funding. The funds given from Boeing has helped with starting the process of fundraising for the building.

“For the children of New Orleans to have access to this type of space, and the type of equipment and this type of technology hopefully from cradle to career. I think we could change the trajectory of many families, if not the community,” says Mackie.

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One of the Nation’s Best Colleges Located in New Orleans

According to The Princeton Review, one of the nation’s best colleges is located right here in New Orleans.  Loyola University is recognized as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education and has ranked as one of the most culturally inclusive universities in the country according to The Princeton Review’s “The Best 380 Colleges: 2016 Edition.” The Princeton Review, an education services company, had extensive surveys and interviews with
college students focusing on their opinions of their school and the experiences they have there.  A small number of more than the nation’s 2,500 4-year universities and colleges made the list, Loyola University being one of them. The goal of “The Best 380 Colleges: 2016 Edition” is to offer assistance to applicants when choosing the best college to fit their goals and aspirations.  The “Top 20″ national ranking lists provided by the survey makes it easier for students to compare what’s out there.

Loyola is recognized six times in the “Top 20” list for the following categories:

#2 Lots of Race/Class Interaction
#2 Town-Gown Relations are Great
#4 Best College Newspaper
#13 Best College Library
#14 Best Quality of Life
#18 Easiest Campus to Get Around

Loyola President Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D. said, “We are very proud that Loyola University New Orleans has been recognized by the Princeton Review in areas that reflect our rich and diverse culture, hands-on learning experiences and community engagement.”

Loyola is highlighted in the edition as “a warm private school in the heart of a big, vibrant city” where all students can find their best attributes in the University’s versatile academic program.  Loyola President Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D. states, “At Loyola, we challenge our students to ask questions and seek solutions in all areas of life, so that they can become critical thinkers and prepare to change the world.”  “The Maroon”, Loyola’s newspaper, was recognized among the top five college newspapers for the second year in a row by “The Princeton Review”.

Relocation to the New Orleans area is on the rise making it a great place to live. If you live in Plaquemines Parish you have a great advantage in the fact that you not only live in a top school district but are located near one of the top universities in the nation – Loyola University. Plaquemines Parish Schools are recognized for the 2014 highest passage rate in the metro New Orleans area on the state standardized testing grades 3 – 8.  The 4th grade LEAP scores tied in 2014 for the highest in Louisiana with a 96 percent passage rate, and 8th grade LEAP scores were second in the state. Students that graduate from Plaquemines Parish schools will have tremendous opportunities right here in their hometown of New Orleans.

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