{"id":16242,"date":"2020-08-17T21:45:45","date_gmt":"2020-08-17T21:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=16242"},"modified":"2020-08-17T21:45:52","modified_gmt":"2020-08-17T21:45:52","slug":"oklahoma-aeronautics-commission-grants-record-amount-of-335400-for-aviation-and-aerospace-education-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/oklahoma\/oklahoma-aeronautics-commission-grants-record-amount-of-335400-for-aviation-and-aerospace-education-funding\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Grants Record Amount of $335,400 for Aviation and Aerospace Education Funding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Forty-five years ago last month, millions of people around\nthe world watched on television as the U.S. Apollo and U.S.S.R. Soyuz\nspacecraft docked to mark the first historic international space mission and\nwhat is generally considered the end of the Space Race. The Apollo module was\ncommanded by Oklahoma favorite son, General Thomas P. Stafford. Stafford also\ncommanded Apollo 10 that mapped the landing site for Apollo 11 that landed the\nfirst man on the Moon and was that giant leap for mankind. Stafford has helped\nto establish Oklahoma as a national leader in the aerospace and aviation\nindustry.  \u201cThe United States is still\nthe only nation to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth, and\nwe did it several times. That remarkable achievement, the success of our Space\nProgram, and our robust aerospace industry would not be possible without the\nscientists, engineers, technicians, and other workers that built and maintained\nthe spacecraft and aircraft, and administered the systems necessary for their\noperation. An adequate and competent workforce is the key, and aviation\neducation programs like that of the Aeronautics Commission are critical to\nhelping ensure that we have that workforce,\u201d said Stafford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This spring and summer have marked some of the most\nchallenging times the aviation and aerospace industry has ever\nexperienced.  The industry has been\nknocked down and behind the power-curve before: pre-WWII aircraft technology\nand readiness, the early days of the space race with the Soviet Union, 9\/11 and\nthe effects on commercial aviation, and the 2008 Great Recession. In all those\ndowntrodden moments for the industry, however, there are two great things that\nstandout, first, aviation and aerospace has always turned things around and\ncome out on top for the better, and second, a high-quality, well educated\nworkforce was the main source behind that turnaround. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This workforce, and the need to attract new talent is the\nreason why the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission (OAC) believes this is the\nperfect time to invest in our future and inspire today\u2019s youth to become\npilots, engineers, mechanics, astronauts, and scientists.  The Commission is determined to focus on\nvectoring young minds towards the exploration of aviation and aerospace through\ntheir nationally recognized and award winning education grant program.                                                                        \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, thirty-eight different entities were awarded\nAerospace and Aviation Education Program grants totaling over $335,400 from the\nCommission. The record amount of funding will be used to bring more students in\nOklahoma to STEM careers, particularly those in aerospace and aviation.  The funding was approved by the Commission at\nits most recent meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grants are awarded for targeted learning programs that have\na direct application to aerospace and aviation for primary through\npost-secondary education. The grant funds are part of the agency\u2019s initiative\nto give more Oklahoma young people access to STEM careers in the aerospace and\naviation industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz said,\n\u201cTransportation is the backbone of our national and state economies, moving\npeople, goods, and services across our country and state. Aviation plays an\nindispensable role in our transportation system. I appreciate OAC\u2019s\nnationally-recognized programs that promotes aviation careers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oklahoma\u2019s Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Sean Kouplen\nsupports OAC\u2019s record investment in its aviation education program and believes\nit comes at a critical time to ensure a workforce to help the aerospace\nindustry come back from the impact of COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAerospace and aviation is our state\u2019s second largest\nindustry yielding an annual economic impact of $44 billion. We need to continue\nto make these record investments in our workforce in order for Oklahoma to\ncontinue to provide top aerospace jobs in the country,\u201d Kouplen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Victor Bird<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAviation and Aerospace is a huge economic engine in our\nstate providing 206,000 direct and indirect jobs. For commerce and communities\na safe, reliable, and accessible aviation system is critical. The Commission is\npleased that its aviation and aerospace education program encourages young and\nadult Oklahomans to consider aviation and aerospace as a career. Funding\nrequests totaled over $682,000 this year, which exemplifies the importance of\naviation and the realization that an adequate workforce is the lifeblood of the\nindustry,\u201d said Director of Aeronautics Victor Bird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charged with the mission by state statute, the Commission,\nwhich invests more money in aerospace and aviation education than any other\nstate, encourages students to consider aerospace or aviation as a career. The\nCommission\u2019s education grant program has over 30 years of positive results. The\ninitiative supports the Oklahoma Works project that aims to address the skills\ngap and connect students to programs that will help build the workforce of Oklahoma\u2019s\nsecond largest industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission\u2019s program has been nationally recognized,\nenjoying a positive reputation of investing more in aerospace and aviation\neducation than any other state.  Since\nFY2001, it has awarded over $2.8M in aerospace and aviation education grants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order for a program to qualify for an aviation education\ngrant or contract, it must meet certain requirements. Most importantly, the\nprogram must demonstrate that its curriculum and goals are geared toward\naviation and aerospace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following grants were approved by OAC Commissioners on\nAugust 12: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Ada City School District, $25,000<\/li>
  • Alva High School, $2,500<\/li>
  • Atoka Elementary School, $2,000<\/li>
  • Bishop John Carroll Cathedral School, $1,100<\/li>
  • Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County, $15,000<\/li>
  • Cameron University, $1,500<\/li>
  • Class Matters, $2,700<\/li>
  • Davenport Public Schools, $8,000<\/li>
  • Dove Science Academy High School, $6,650<\/li>
  • El Reno Regional Airport, $2,300<\/li>
  • FIRST Robotics Competition, $7,500<\/li>
  • Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, $2,500<\/li>
  • Gordon Cooper Technology Center, $3,000<\/li>
  • Grand Aces Aviation Ground School, $1,750<\/li>
  • Guthrie Edmond Regional Airport, $1,150<\/li>
  • KISS Institute for Practical Robotics, $7.500<\/li>
  • McAlester High School, $5,000<\/li>
  • MetroTechnology Center, and the FAA Mike\nMonroney Aeronautical Center, $13,250<\/li>
  • Metro Tech STEM Mobile Lab, $10,000<\/li>
  • Mid-Del Technology Center, $4,000<\/li>
  • Mustang High School, $5,000<\/li>
  • Newspapers in Education Institute, $5,000<\/li>
  • Oilton Public Schools, $3,000<\/li>
  • Oklahoma CareerTech Foundation, $10,000<\/li>
  • Oklahoma Engineering Foundation, Inc., $5,000<\/li>
  • Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics\nFoundation, $1,500<\/li>
  • Oklahoma Science and Engineering Foundation,\n$5,000<\/li>
  • Oklahoma State University, Speedfest, $9,000<\/li>
  • Okmulgee High School, $5,000<\/li>
  • Ponca City Regional Airport, $8,500<\/li>
  • Putnam City High School (Air Force JROTC),\n$12,000<\/li>
  • Rose State College, $13,500<\/li>
  • Southeastern Oklahoma State University, $6,500<\/li>
  • STARBASE Oklahoma Inc., $25,000<\/li>
  • STARR Solutions (Tinker Air and Space Show),\n$28,000<\/li>
  • Tulsa Air and Space Museum, $10,000<\/li>
  • Tulsa Community WorkAdvance, $15,00<\/li>
  • University of Oklahoma, Sooner Flight Academy,\n$46,000<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Forty-five years ago last month, millions of people around the world watched on television as the U.S. Apollo and U.S.S.R. Soyuz spacecraft docked to mark the first historic international space mission and what is generally considered the end of the Space Race. The Apollo module was commanded by Oklahoma favorite son, General Thomas P. Stafford. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-oklahoma"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16243,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16242\/revisions\/16243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}