Serving Broward County's Underserved Youth: Museum of Discovery & Science Receives Nasa Stem Grant

September 5, 2024

The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) has received a Community Anchor Award from the NASA Office of STEM Engagement. This funding will both bolster the Museum’s impact on underserved youth in Broward County and transform it into a regional NASA STEM informal education community resource. MODS’ award is part of NASA’s $3.7 Million Grant funding to 17 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions as part of their TEAM II initiative to ignite STEM excitement. It is one of 13 institutions across the country to share $510,000 in NASA Community Anchor Award funds.

“We are over the moon to have been awarded this prestigious NASA Grant,” said Joseph P. Cox, President and CEO of MODS. “This funding will allow us to increase Museum access and offer inquiry-based learning experiences for underrepresented youth via MODS STEM outreach efforts at no cost. By enhancing our local impact and strengthening sustainable connections between the Broward community and NASA, we seek to ignite, instill and further a passion for space science and STEM in the next generation of explorers.”

MODS’ Community Anchor Award programming will impact 500 learners by providing two STEMobile outreach programs with a NASA-driven curriculum and one mobile GeoDome planetarium program. Fifty additional students will participate in a Kennedy Space Center field trip to explore the facility and engage with NASA.

MODS will partner with Title I schools in low-income zip codes to deliver programs to youth most in need including girls, minorities and low-income youth.

Outreach programs will be delivered by trained MODS STEM educators via the MODS STEMobile, which delivers project-based learning experiences to 75,000 learners annually across Broward County – 90% of which are delivered at no cost to low-income and underserved youth. All programs follow the Authentic STEM Experience (ASE) framework, actively engaging youth in collaborative, developmentally appropriate experiences that generate real-world understanding.

“We’re excited to grow the community of informal education organizations through these awards,” said Torry Johnson, Deputy Associate Administrator of STEM Engagement Programs at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These organizations bring the excitement of STEM and spaceflight to students where they are, helping us inspire the Artemis Generation of future explorers and innovators. These awards are a real catalyst for partnerships that connect STEM education and NASA’s missions to communities across the nation.”

The Museum of Discovery and Science
Founded in 1976 as the Discovery Center, today the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) is at the forefront of science education, innovation and exploration. MODS connects people to inspiring science, providing STEM education and cultural experiences for 450,000+ visitors annually in the 150,000 sq. ft. facility. MODS is a 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization that has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) for three decades (only 3% of science museums are accredited for excellence and leadership in the field). In the past year, MODS has added to that distinction by being named Broward’s Hub for Resilience Education by the Board of the Community Foundation of Broward, selected by the LEGO Foundation as one of only 15 museums nationwide to join the Playful Learning Museum Network and awarded the prestigious 2023 IMLS National Medal for Museum Service.

The Museum celebrates diversity and welcomes visitors from all walks of life. The Museum hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. MODS is located downtown at: 401 SW Second Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33312. For more information about the Museum, please visit: www.mods.org or call: (954) 467-MODS (6637).

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