$300K Grant Has Middle School Students BioMotoing at the NCRC | Schools

KANNAPOLIS (North Carolina Research Campus) - The first of more than 250 middle school students biomotoed today at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis.

That means they took part in the BioMoto STEM Challenge, a collaborative educational initiative underwritten by a $300,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and guided by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s Greater Charlotte Office and the North Carolina Motorsports Association.

Through September 22, students from Richmond, Cabarrus, Rowan-Salisbury and Kannapolis City school systems will arrive at the NCRC in the morning to take fitness tests at the Appalachian State University Human Performance Laboratory and tour the campus. The students will then travel to UNC Charlotte to tour the facilities of the motorsports program.

In March 2012, students will compete in the BioMoto Capstone Challenge at Rockingham Dragway. They will compete in a pit crew challenge using an apparatus they created at their schools. During the three-year grant program, more than 1,500 students from at least 12 school districts in North Carolina will participate.

The goal of the BioMoto Challenge is to motivate middle school students to improve their understanding of science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) in order to help them succeed in school and to inspire them to consider STEM-based careers. The program builds off the popularity of NASCAR and the science and math that make a pit crew and race team successful.

“This grant represents a stimulating partnership between the Biotechnology Center and the Motorsports Association that takes a unique approach to advancing STEM education in our public schools,” said Marjorie Benbow, executive director of the Biotechnology Center’s Greater Charlotte Office. “Motorsports and biotechnology are economic drivers in our state. Most of the jobs require people proficient in science, technology, engineering, and math. We hope this program helps plant the seeds that lead to a stronger and even more highly skilled workforce in North Carolina.”