The PPG Industries Foundation has donated $10,000 to the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas to support a new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education program for 6th- through 12th-grade students from two public all-girls schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The grant for the Young Women’s STEM Leadership Initiative was made on behalf of PPG Industries’  Dallas-area aerospace application support center in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The two partnering schools, Dallas Independent School District’s Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School and Grand Prairie Independent School District’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy, emphasize leadership as well as STEM education for students mostly from low-income areas. The new Frontiers of Flight Museum program encourages underserved female students to increase their knowledge of STEM-related principles in aerospace and their awareness of and interest in aerospace and related careers through experimentation and hands-on learning, while also offering them leadership skill-building opportunities.

“Thanks to the PPG foundation’s support for our Young Women’s STEM Leadership Initiative, the Frontiers of Flight Museum is better able to meet the accelerated demand for STEM education programs and to inspire and empower young women across North Texas,” said Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, chief executive officer, Frontiers of Flight Museum. “Statistics suggest there is tremendous growth opportunity for young women in STEM-related education and careers. In partnering with these two schools, the museum aims to increase girls’ understanding of aerospace and interest in related careers while instilling confidence in STEM-focused skills.”

Through the new initiative, more than 600 students will participate in guided tours of the Frontiers of Flight Museum and in on-site and outreach educational programming. The initiative also will include special events during Engineers Week and a one-week immersive camp during spring break offering girls an in-depth STEM-focused experience. The initiative also includes paid internship opportunities for 10 upper-class students to assist teachers with spring break camp and 16 internships and 10 scholarships for the museum’s Flight School Summer Camp.

“PPG and its foundation believe the aerospace industry benefits from educational programs like this one that interest young people in pursuing science- and math-related careers by engaging them in fun activities,” said Kevin Brooks, business manager of PPG’s aerospace application support center near Dallas. “We are happy to support the Frontiers of Flight Museum in helping girls in the Dallas area develop technical literacy that will help them become better-skilled employees serving companies such as PPG and their communities in the future.”