Grant to bolster Greenpoint school’s STEM program

November 3, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Assemblymember Joe Lentol and Laura Perloff, a representative of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, help students and educators at P.S. 34 celebrate the STEM grant. Photo courtesy of Lentol’s office

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A $2,000 grant from a coalition of pharmaceutical companies will come in handy at a Greenpoint elementary school, according educators, who said the much-needed funds will be put toward enhancing the school’s budding Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program.

The organization Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) awarded the funding under its STEM Talent Pipeline Grant program to P.S. 34, the Oliver H. Perry Elementary School.

The STEM Talent Pipeline Grant will be used to support P.S. 34’s new STEM Classroom, educators said. The money will go toward buying classroom materials.

P.S. 34, located at 131 Norman Ave., 500 students from pre-K through fifth grade.

“PS 34 has been an active participant in Eco-Schools and STEM education for several years. The opening of our brand new STEM Lab this year coincides with the excitement of being selected to receive the STEM Talent Pipeline Grant,” Principal Carmen Asselta said in a statement.

The funds will be put to good use, according to Asselta. “This grant will be used to further enhance and enrich our existing STEM program through the purchase of additional equipment and technology. The entire P.S. 34 community is grateful to be a recipient of a STEM Talent Pipeline Grant,” she stated.

Assemblymember Joe Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) and Laura Perloff, director of advocacy and strategic alliances of PhRMA, paid a special visit to the school last week to announce the grant.

During their visit, Lentol and Perloff also spoke to students about the importance of STEM education and how they will be able to apply what they have learned in the classroom to the job hunt in the biopharmaceutical sector years from now.

“In this day and age, promoting STEM education is imperative,” Lentol stated. “New York City has done an amazing job to ensure that our students are prepared 21st-century jobs. P.S. 34 has already led the way in teaching their students the importance of science through their robotics program, Eco-Schools sustainability program and Environmental Club. This grant will provide yet another opportunity for P.S. 34 to expand their STEM teaching.”

Perloff said PhRMA is proud to support STEM programs because schools like P.S. 34 “are providing students with the tools they need to be the innovators of tomorrow.”

The biopharmaceutical industry is also “committed to investing in programs that will keep America at the forefront of new breakthroughs,” she said.