Westhills Elementary Teacher Awarded TVA STEM Grant
Westhills Elementary School teacher Ms. Suzie Presson has been awarded a TVA STEM Classroom Grant for the 2023-2024 school year. The TVA STEM Classroom Grant Program, sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (BVI, a TVA retiree organization), is designed to fund STEM learning projects in classrooms and schools in the TVA service area.
Ms. Presson’s 6th grade students will conduct investigations to demonstrate how heat/thermal energy moves among objects through radiation, conduction, or convection using thermal cameras and infrared thermometers in various areas of the school building, including ceilings, floors, and around doors and windows. This research will also use 21st-century skills such as data analysis, problem-solving, and digital communication to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the three different types of door weather stripping (insulation) in conserving energy. They will discover how effective the weather stripping is in minimizing the need for heating and cooling systems to work harder thus saving energy consumption.
“A very important part of the 6th grade TCAP is for students to conduct an investigation to demonstrate the way that heat (thermal energy) moves among objects through radiation, conduction, or convection,” Mrs. Presson stated, “I want to help WES 6th graders understand this standard better and remember it by using a fun, interactive, hands on approach. I am grateful to TVA for providing this grant.”
